President Donald Trump said early Sunday that he had called off what he described as a massive planned strike against Iran, citing the outlines of a new agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Within 48 hours, Iranian officials were flatly denying that any such agreement exists.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said the U.S. was “locked and loaded” but agreed to cancel the attack “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL” — one he said would include the “Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT” and an end to Iran's nuclear program. He said the request to stand down came from Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, and that Israel had joined the commitment, a claim Israel has not confirmed.
Axios reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally called Trump urging him to cancel the strikes and return to negotiations. CBS News reported that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates all pressed Trump to hold off.
Tehran's response undercut the deal narrative almost immediately. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Monday, according to Al-Monitor, that the country is “not currently negotiating with the United States” — its only active talks are with Oman, over a safe shipping corridor, not a reopening of the strait itself.
Iran's Fars News Agency went further, reporting flatly that no agreement on reopening the strait exists and that ships would only be permitted through a designated route with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy authorization.
Iran's Mehr news agency dismissed Trump's account as fabricated, while state-linked outlet Kayhan mocked the reversal as another retreat after a week of threats.
This is not the first Hormuz breakthrough to be announced and then unravel this year. A June memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran included provisions on the strait but was never finalized into a comprehensive agreement, and a ceasefire reached last month, also tied to reopening Hormuz, collapsed within weeks. An Iranian lawmaker said Sunday that current mediators are attempting to revive the June understanding rather than negotiate a new one.
Adding to the confusion, Israel's Channel 12 reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had privately agreed to a Qatar-brokered compromise splitting strait access between Iranian- and Omani-controlled sides — a claim Iran's Fars News Agency also denied.
The U.S. and Israel have targeted Iran since February 28, when the current conflict began. Since then, Trump has repeatedly announced imminent deals or ceasefires, several of which collapsed within days or weeks of being announced.
Trump has said negotiations will begin this afternoon. Iran's Foreign Ministry says those talks, to the extent they exist, are strictly with Oman over shipping access — not a resumption of U.S.-Iran negotiations. Whether tanker traffic through the strait actually changes in the coming days, and whether Washington, Tehran and Israel end up describing the same agreement, remains to be seen.
Sources:
Bloomberg — Trump Holds Off Iran Strikes on Pledge Hormuz Deal Is Close
Al Jazeera — Trump cancels Iran strike, says 'deal perimeters' reached
Al Jazeera — No breakthrough on Strait of Hormuz as Trump halts attack on Iran
CBS News — Live Updates: U.S.-Iran negotiations set to begin Monday
Al-Monitor — Iran denies negotiating with US after Trump announces talks
Ynetnews — Iran denies Trump's claim of Hormuz deal: 'There is no agreement'