WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he called off a planned military operation against Iran that he described as potentially “the biggest attack since World War II,” after direct appeals from Gulf Arab leaders to pursue a negotiated settlement. The president stated talks are now scheduled to resume Monday afternoon.
The decision represents a significant pivot for an administration that has maintained an adversarial posture toward Tehran. Just 24 hours prior, Trump had declared he was “losing faith” in diplomacy and warned the U.S. military would be “hitting them very hard.” The reversal came after a Saturday phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who, along with leaders from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, expressed a clear preference for a deal over a strike.
“I said to the crown prince, ‘What would you rather do? Would you rather us do this or not?’” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “They said we would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack, because you don’t know where these attacks lead.”
“They said we would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack, because you don’t know where these attacks lead.”
The American national interest in this conflict hinges explicitly on the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of global energy flows. For domestic workers and industries, any disruption in this waterway translates directly to fuel price instability. Trump indicated an emerging deal would guarantee the strait’s reopening and address U.S. concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei countered Sunday that the strait “will in no way return to the status it was before February 28th,” complicating the mediation picture.
A regional official involved in the mediation, speaking anonymously without authorization to speak publicly, outlined the proposal’s framework: an end to attacks across the region, including by Iran-backed militias in Iraq against Gulf states, in exchange for the U.S. ending its naval blockade and allowing Iranian oil exports. Critical details remain unresolved, and similar prior ceasefire attempts have collapsed, including a June agreement that was never implemented.
While the president frames this as a victory for dealmaking, the underlying strategy questions remain. The U.S. naval blockade is a costly military posture directed toward a conflict that serves foreign interests more than American workers. The administration must secure a Strait of Hormuz agreement that protects domestic economic stability without entangling American forces in a protracted regional war—an outcome that has eluded prior administrations.