The president warned the United States remains ‘locked and loaded and ready to go.’
President Donald Trump said Aug. 1 that he has agreed to pause or even cancel the pending U.S. attacks against Iran as negotiators have reached an outline for a deal.
Trump said in a post just after 10 p.m. ET on Truth Social that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had requested the United States “hold off any attack” because Iran has agreed to acceptable perimeters to end the conflict.
“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.
Given Iran’s record of violating previously signed agreements, the president also noted the United States remains “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.”
Trump said that for the attack to be canceled, Iran would need to show it is abiding by the parameters of the deal, which include the immediate and complete opening of the Strait of Hormuz to international maritime traffic, and an “end to Iran’s nuclear threat.”
He said that Israel has also agreed to not attack.
During a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on July 31, the White House signaled its plans for renewed U.S. strikes on Iran in the coming days aimed at forcing Tehran to surrender.
“The United States signed an MOU with Iran and they broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told The Epoch Times by email. “President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur. Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.”
Iranian Threats
Iranian officials earlier on Aug. 1 threatened new retaliatory attacks, including on U.S. allies in the region, if the United States acted.
“We explicitly declare that Muslim countries must exercise foresight, monitor America’s crimes, and reconsider cooperation and alignment with the United States,” Iranian Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi said in a statement carried by the state-run Press TV on Saturday.
“Otherwise, any country that turns itself into a defensive shield for the criminal and aggressor United States will burn in the fire of war,” Abdollahi said.
Iranian state media reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi relayed similar warning messages in calls with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan on Aug. 1.
By Ryan Morgan and Melanie Sun
