Trump reveals why he called off 'massive attack' on Iran and how move may lead to historic nuclear deal

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 23:06, 2 August 2026 | Updated: 23:25, 2 August 2026 Donald Trump confirmed he called off a 'massive attack' on Iran this weekend because allies in the region convinced him a deal with Tehran is close. The president said on Truth Social on Saturday evening that although he remains 'locked and loaded' to launch an attack, he halted the strikes in hopes of reaching a peace deal.  Speaking on Air Force One Sunday, Trump confirmed that American allies in the Middle East convinced him amid reports he had been talked down by Saudi Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman.   'I was asked to by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, by Qatar, and by Iran to hold off strikes. It would have been a massive attack. When the allies asked to call it off, you gotta say, "Well, let's see." Allies think there is a deal,' Trump told the press. Trump added that he believes the deal will involve both Iran's nuclear program and a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The President also declined to comment on reports he was moving US troops out of Kuwait and Bahrain.   Sources told Axios that the Crown Prince urged Trump to defuse the situation, following days of tit-for-tat threats between the White House and Tehran.  In Trump's Truth Social post on Saturday night, he threatened to unleash 'power not seen since World War II', but said he agreed to tentatively pause the attack.  Donald Trump confirmed he called off a 'massive attack' on Iran this weekend because allies in the region convinced him a deal with Tehran is close '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,' Trump wrote.  'This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.  '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. The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment.'  Trump has been locked in meetings at Camp David in recent days, during which he vowed to hit Iran until they 'can't take it anymore' and sources told several outlets that Trump had already green-lit strikes. On Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president has grown frustrated with negotiations with Iranian officials.  Leavitt said the White House believed it made a breakthrough when it signed a memorandum of understanding last month, but Tehran promptly 'broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers.'  'President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur,' Leavitt said in a statement on Friday evening.  'Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.'  Amid Trump's threats to devastate Iran's infrastructure, Iran responded on Friday night by naming potential targets of its own.  Iranian state-affiliated news agencies said Iran would go after energy infrastructure tied to the US and Israeli militaries, and a senior security official told Tasnim News that the IRGC had prepared 'extensive response plans.'  Trump has repeatedly claimed that his administration has control over the Strait of Hormuz, the key waterway bordering Iran that typically sees over a fifth of global crude oil pass through it.  The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has imposed a naval blockade, redirecting 30 commercial vessels, boarding two and disabling two others in recent weeks.