"Parameters Reached For Deal To End War": Trump, Netanyahu Hold Off New Iran Strikes

President Donald Trump on Saturday said that the US and Israel had agreed to "hold off" on planned strikes on Iran at the request of Tehran and other countries in the region, claiming that the Middle East allies have reached the parameters of a deal to end the war.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said that the emerging deal "would include the immediate, complete, and total opening" of the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most vital energy conduit which has mostly been closed by Iran since the war broke out on February 28.

"The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to. This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran's  nuclear threat," he said.

"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," he added.

Trump said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led Israel -- which had conducted joint strikes with the American military in February, killing Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei -- has agreed to join the US in the commitment to try to complete the agreement with Iran that would bring about an end to the war.

"Get to work, everybody, and get it DONE," he said.

US, Israel Planned Joint Strikes On Iran's Energy-Related Targets

Donald Trump had on Friday threatened to hit Iran "very hard", as US media reported that he was considering renewed heavy attacks over this weekend.

"We'll be hitting him very hard and, you know, at some point they're going to say, 'We just can't take it anymore'," he said as he hosted a cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.

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The Wall Street Journal later reported that he had ordered a fresh strike aimed at convincing Iran to surrender, which could begin as soon as this weekend.

CBS News reported that the US and Israel were planning joint strikes on energy-related targets, possibly throughout the weekend.

Trump had not yet given the green light for the campaign, but Israel and the US were coordinating, CBS said, citing multiple unnamed sources.

It would have marked the first time that Israel joined in attacks on Iran since the initial phase of the war.

Escalating US-Iran War

The two countries had signed a now-abandoned preliminary deal aimed at ending the war in June. The US, however, resumed its attacks on Iran last month after accusing Tehran of targeting commercial ships in Hormuz. In response, Tehran attacked American military sites in Gulf countries.

The agreement provided for an immediate cessation of military operations, including in Lebanon, and commits both countries to pursuing a final agreement within 60 days.

Trump, however, on July 8, said the deal was "over". Tehran also later suspended the memorandum of understanding, accusing Washington of "violating all its commitments".