Trump Claims US-Israel Pact to Halt Iran Attacks Pending Deal

United States President Donald Trump has stated that the US and Israel have agreed to halt new attacks on Iran, contingent upon the rapid finalization of a deal to end the ongoing conflict.

The region has been experiencing heightened tensions, with fears of renewed conflict following reciprocal threats of significant attacks between Washington and Tehran, including potential strikes on energy infrastructure.

Trump announced on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, early in Iran and late Saturday in the US, that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had requested a pause in attacks, citing that "the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to."

Iran, however, has denied Trump's assertion that Tehran requested the US refrain from new strikes. Citing military officials, the IRNA news agency called the allegation "nothing but a new lie," adding that the Iranian armed forces were "on high alert and ready for any eventuality."

Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy supplies, remains closed. Shipping is also disrupted in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Trump elaborated in his post that the US was "locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran" but that Iran and other Middle Eastern nations asked him to hold off on new attacks.

"Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL," Trump wrote.

He stipulated that the deal "would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat."

"The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE," he added.

Neither Trump nor the White House provided further details regarding the specifics of the proposed deal or the mediating parties.

In related news, the US website Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) spoke with Trump on Saturday, expressing concern over plans for large new attacks against Iran and urging de-escalation.

Adding to Washington's concerns, the US faces depleting stocks of munitions, particularly Patriot anti-missile interceptors. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates US Patriot interceptor inventories have fallen significantly since the conflict began.

"We have depleted our interceptors… which are, obviously, necessary to protect American troops," stated Democratic US Senator Chris Van Hollen. "We are depleting these every day, despite the fact that we could face other potential conflicts around the world."

US media outlets have also reported that General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has voiced concerns about falling US interceptor supplies, though Trump has dismissed these worries.

Iran has not issued an official response to Trump's announcement regarding the suspension of planned attacks or the discussions for a deal.

Iran's acting defense minister, Majid Ibn al-Reza, stated on Sunday that Tehran perceives all threats from adversaries as "real and credible," regardless of whether they are part of psychological warfare. "We will neither be caught off-guard nor remain passive," he said, indicating that Iran would use threats to bolster its military readiness and deterrence.

Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi engaged in separate phone calls with Pakistan's military chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir; Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss the risks of further US escalation.

Araghchi informed Munir and Fidan that Iran would respond decisively to any "aggression" and discussed the potential consequences of US "destabilising actions" on the Gulf.

Iran also warned Washington against "adventurous action," promising a decisive retaliation if US forces carried out Trump's threats.

Araghchi informed Saudi Prince Faisal that any attacks by the US and Israel, or regional participation in such actions, would be met with a "proportionate response."

Nournews, affiliated with Iran's top security body, reported that US attacks on Iranian energy infrastructure would trigger Iranian strikes on oilfields in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as gasfields in Qatar and Israel, stating, "All will be burned to ashes."

Clarity on the potential deal Trump mentioned has been absent from all parties involved or any regional mediators.

Regional powers, including Qatar, the UAE, Turkiye, and Pakistan, have been urging the US and Iran to de-escalate and return to diplomatic negotiations.

Pakistani and Qatari mediators expressed "cautious optimism" regarding the resumption of stalled US-Iran talks, according to Pakistani government sources who spoke to Turkiye’s Anadolu agency. The sources anticipated "positive developments" by the end of the week.

"Pakistani and Qatari mediators together with regional partners are in touch with Washington and Tehran for the resumption of talks after convincing Trump to hold off on fresh attacks on Iran," a source familiar with the diplomatic efforts told Anadolu.

The last ceasefire, brokered in June by Islamabad and Doha, collapsed quickly due to a dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump's latest statement suggested the proposed deal would immediately reopen the strait.

However, Tehran has not indicated any shift in its stance regarding the waterway, which it maintains will not return to its pre-war status quo. Iran has expressed openness to managing marine traffic in the strait with Oman.

Trump and US allies in the Gulf have strongly opposed such an arrangement.

Adding to energy industry concerns, Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen have recently begun threatening the Bab al-Mandeb strait, another export route for Saudi crude oil.

Five months into the war, a clear end to hostilities appears distant.

Al Jazeera's Mahmoud Abdelwahed reported from Tehran that Iran's diplomatic efforts coincide with a strong statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs accusing the US of violating the ceasefire by disregarding navigation rules in the Strait of Hormuz.

Abdelwahed noted that the US has been encouraging vessels to use a southern route near the Omani coast, which Tehran deems unauthorized. Tehran also accused Washington of undermining the ceasefire by using commercial vessels for military movements and imposing new sanctions and a naval blockade.

Ross Harrison, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, commented that identifying a clear US strategy remains difficult due to Trump's repeated signals of escalation followed by withdrawals. "From the Iranian perspective, they probably will believe that Donald Trump blinked because of the potential risk of escalation," he said. Harrison believes the latest announcement will not signify a genuine de-escalation unless a clear agreement is reached to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Renewed fighting between the US and Iran occurred "because of ambiguity in a memorandum of understanding signed back in June" regarding the mechanism for reopening the strait.

"Unless there’s some kind of clear agreement on opening the strait and removing the blockade, this isn’t going to hold. The announcement we saw is only going to be another pause," Harrison warned.

Harrison cautioned that decision-makers in Tehran and Washington could lose control of the conflict if it persists. "We have other files that are now conflated with the Iran file – the Lebanon file, the Israel-Palestine file, the Saudi-Houthi file, the Iraq file," he told Al Jazeera. "At some point in time, the decision-makers lose control of the dynamic [because] even if they want to de-escalate, other actors may escalate, and it may make it very, very difficult for the United States and Iran to extricate themselves."