Trump Says US to Pause Iran Strikes as Mideast Allies Reach Outline to End War

President Donald Trump said Aug. 1 that the United States is pausing any pending attacks on on Iran if its leaders follow through to “rapidly make a deal” after it reached an agreement with other Middle Eastern countries to end the war.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 the parameters of a deal.“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 ThreatsIranian 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.Washington and Tehran reached a ceasefire agreement on April 8, and agreed to a memorandum of understanding for further peace negotiations in June. That ceasefire collapsed in July after Iranian forces renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and its neighboring countries that have hosted U.S. military bases.Following the renewed Iranian attacks, Trump ordered U.S. forces to launch new strikes on Iran. Those U.S. strikes continued for 13 days before pausing on July 25.U.S. forces launched another set of strikes on Iran on July 29, in response to an attempted Iranian missile attack on a U.S. military outpost in Jordan. Kuwait’s military on Aug. 1 reported its air defenses had intercepted multiple Iranian drones. Kuwait has hosted multiple U.S. military bases since the 1991 Gulf War.On Aug. 1, the U.S. State Department issued a new travel advisory urging U.S. citizens in the Middle East to “consider departing,” or be prepared to depart “should there be escalation.”The warning was issued more than a week after at least eight U.S. embassies in the Middle East urged American travelers in the region to “exercise caution and heightened vigilance” and prepare for “flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions.”The Aug. 1 update reiterated vigilance for Americans around the world, noting that “U.S. diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted” for attacks.“Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including U.S. businesses and other institutions,” the advisory read.The State Department’s worldwide caution alert from July remains in place.