Trump cancels joint strikes on Iran after reaching 'rough framework' of a peace deal

President Donald Trump said Sunday that a planned attack on Iran was called off after officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran urged the U.S. to give diplomacy another chance.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on a return flight from New Jersey, the president described how the strike was halted and said negotiations are scheduled to begin Monday afternoon.

“I was asked by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and by Iran. We were all set to go. Just about at this time. Right now," he said.

“The reason they asked is they think there's a deal.

“They said we'd like to make a deal now. You know, I don't know what they say because a lot of times they'll say that for me.

“Obviously they don't want to be attacked,” Trump added before saying Washington was “talking to them” and that negotiations were planned for "Monday afternoon."

“It would be the biggest attack since World War II,” Trump said before adding, “It would have been disastrous for them.” 

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East during a call Sunday, according to the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

The two officials reviewed "the latest developments amid the current situation" and discussed "diplomatic efforts to reduce escalation," the ministry said in a statement shared on X.

Bin Farhan also affirmed Saudi Arabia's commitment to continuing its role in "promoting security and stability in a manner that serves the shared interests of all countries and peoples of the region," the ministry added. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged the United States to uphold the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries, calling it the foundation of Tehran's future foreign policy as mediation efforts continued.

“I believe this memorandum will be the center of gravity of our foreign relations in the future,” Pezeshkian said in a post shared on X.

“We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed,” he said, adding that the security of Iran, the region and its allies will be “enhanced by this memorandum.”

His remarks came as The Associated Press reported that Washington and Tehran have renewed calls to return to negotiations focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and halting attacks across the region, including strikes by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq targeting Persian Gulf countries and Jordan.

Citing an official, the outlet reported that, in exchange, the United States would end its blockade of Iranian ports and allow Tehran to resume oil exports under the terms of a tentative ceasefire proposal, but no deal had yet been reached.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Sunday it had redirected 35 commercial vessels and disabled two others during its ongoing blockade of Iranian ports.

“A U.S. Marine Corps F-35C stealth fighter jet launches from the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as the aircraft carrier transits the Arabian Sea and supports the U.S. blockade against Iran,” the command said in a post on X.

“As of Aug. 2, CENTCOM had redirected 35 commercial vessels, disabled two, and boarded two,” it added.

The U.S. initially imposed the blockade April 13 and resumed it July 14 after a pause.

Negotiations between Iran and Oman over the Strait of Hormuz are in their final stages, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday, according to Reuters.

Citing Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, the outlet said the announcement followed the United States calling off a planned attack on Iran to allow more time for diplomacy.

Araghchi did not provide details about the negotiations, Reuters said.

According to Iran International, mediators are also working to revive the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Iran and the United States.

"The central issue and the key to the matter is the Strait of Hormuz," Hassan Ghashghavi, a spokesperson for the Iranian parliament's National Security Committee, said, according to the outlet.

"Discussions are underway, and there is a possibility that the Iranian side will return to Muscat," he said, referring to Oman's capital.

"Exchanging views and discussing proposals are part of diplomacy, and it is natural for each side to seek the greatest possible benefit for itself," Ghashghavi added.

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth warned of "very real" dangers for the global oil industry as tensions escalate in Iran and Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities fuel concerns over a potential new shipping crisis.

His comments come as oil prices climb following President Donald Trump’s pause on U.S. strikes against Iran and as Saudi Arabia reportedly builds an international coalition to protect vital shipping routes.

"We now see, not only the Strait of Hormuz, but the Red Sea and the Black Sea have risks and uncertainties. So, some of the challenges have expanded, and the risks to supply are very real," Wirth said during an appearance on "Sunday Morning Futures."

While oil demand remains strong around the world, Wirth said energy markets are "fragile and uncertain" as the U.S. conflict with Iran festers into a sixth month and as global inventories continue to decline.

"The world energy system has been stressed and the need for supplies to markets and customers has never been higher," the Chevron CEO said.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital trade routes, is one of the most contentious aspects of the United States conflict with Iran. Traffic has sunk to only a handful of vessels passing through the waterway each day.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Nora Moriarty.

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., joined Fox News to discuss President Donald Trump’s cancellation of strikes on Iran as well as Saudi Arabia’s role in preserving Middle East security on Sunday.

The Saudi government convened a meeting last week with Kuwait, the U.K., Qatar and other regional powers to discuss ways of preventing military escalation in the Red Sea amid regional tensions.

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth joined "Sunday Morning Futures" to discuss rising oil and gas prices amid the U.S.-Iran conflict, saying his company is already looking at potential options to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., reacted to President Donald Trump's decision to pause military strikes against Iran and more on "Fox News Sunday."

Iran's leadership remains deeply divided over negotiations with the U.S., with the most radical factions in Tehran arguing that talks shouldn't take place at all.

Leading the furthest fringes is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps representing the "Paydari" movement – Persian for "stability." This group insists Iran cannot make any concessions to the U.S. and insists Tehran must win an absolute victory militarily.

The faction in favor of negotiations with the U.S. is led by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. They argue that negotiations are a twin path to victory alongside military action.

“Negotiation is a political tool and a complement to military action to force the enemy to a point of compulsion and extract real concessions,” an adviser to Qalibaf, Mahdi Mohammadi, wrote on social media last week.

The success of either faction will have major implications for how Iran operates after the war with the U.S. concludes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the waves of U.S. strikes devastated Iran's defense programs before President Donald Trump ordered a pause on Sunday.

Rubio said the U.S. military operations targeted defense infrastructure in Iran, going on to offer new details about the Iran's agreement to a "rough framework" for a peace deal.

President Donald Trump is maintaining a pause on strikes against Iran on Sunday amid apparent progress in peace talks.

Fox News foreign correspondent Trey Yingst joined Fox News to discuss Trump's latest move.

Yingst says regional partners like Saudi Arabia signaled progress toward an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address the Iranian regime's nuclear program. Officials nevertheless caution that tensions remain high as negotiations continue.

This is an excerpt from an opinion article by Fox News' Daniel Hoffman.

On July 20, President Donald Trump ⁠ signed an important executive order designed to ensure U.S. defense contractors no longer buy critical minerals from China. This is just the latest in a series of administration moves to enhance the security of our most critical supply chains.

The Pentagon has been leading the way with a sharpened focus on increasing production across our nation's defense-related industrial base. Simply stated, we cannot allow Chinese control of any material vital to our war-fighting capabilities.

Supply chain vetting is entirely consistent with the administration's strategy for U.S. economic growth, which relies on a renewed push to onshore manufacturing rather than rely on imports from unregulated and unreliable suppliers. That's good for the U.S. labor force and a great benefit to our national security.

The good news is that we don’t need to do it all ourselves. We should never hesitate to partner, especially with our G7 allies and other close partners, as long as production takes place on U.S. soil.

Consider a recent agreement signed between U.S. company ReconCraft and Ukrainian company Uforce to produce drone boats in Portland, Oregon. The deal marks the first time a U.S. manufacturer will produce drone boats as part of the Pentagon's push to increase its capacity of autonomous weapons. In a proof-of-concept kinetic strike earlier in July, U.S. drone boats successfully targeted an Iranian submarine facility at a naval base in the Strait of Hormuz.

Relevant applications for the U.S. military are many, including in the Middle East, where the war with Iran requires our use of the most advanced drone and counter-drone technology available. We need these force multipliers to reinvigorate our defense industrial base.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., urged President Donald Trump to "finish the job" against Iran this weekend.

Crawford raised concerns that the conflict is draining U.S. missile defense supplies.

A sanctioned tanker loaded with crude is leaving a growing trail of oil in protected waters off the coast of Oman, according to newly reviewed satellite images, as experts warn the stranded vessel could break apart during the region's rough monsoon season.

Satellite images reviewed by The Associated Press show an oil sheen covering roughly 20 square kilometers, or about 8 square miles, around Dhofar's Qibliyah Island, part of Oman's protected Hallaniyat Islands. Dark patches of crude have also reached the shoreline. Experts say the leak has worsened in recent days, fueling fears that rough weather could trigger a much larger spill.

"The last few days, the imagery indicates an increase in oil coming out, as the size of the sheen is growing," Wim Zwijnenburg, an environmental expert with the Dutch peace organization PAX, told the AP.

He said the biggest risk is that the vessel could break apart as strong winds and rough seas during the annual monsoon season continue to pound the ship's hull.

The 899-foot, Cameroon-flagged Caroline Bezengi has been stranded off Oman's southern coast since June after its crew reported an onboard explosion, according to maritime news outlets. Reuters, citing maritime security sources, reported the vessel first ran into trouble on June 8 near the Yemeni port of Mukalla, where initial assessments suggested a blast may have occurred. The cause has not been confirmed.

Ship-tracking data reviewed by Reuters showed the tanker had loaded Russian crude at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk before its latest voyage. The vessel has been sanctioned by the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and Switzerland for allegedly transporting Russian oil as part of Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet" — a network of aging tankers used to bypass Western sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Zwijnenburg estimated the tanker is carrying more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil and said recent imagery suggests at least one section of the hull has been breached. Other maritime specialists who reviewed the images told Reuters the vessel also appears to be listing, adding to concerns that it could eventually break apart.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Stephen Sorace.

Nearly two decades before the latest war with Iran, an explosively formed penetrator tore through a U.S. Army vehicle on a Baghdad road, killing Staff Sgt. William Brooks and leaving Sgt. (Ret.) Robert Bartlett with injuries so severe that he says he "died three times."

The weapon was part of a broader Iranian campaign that armed and trained proxy forces to target American troops in Iraq, according to federal court findings. In cases involving hundreds of U.S. victims, judges found that Iran manufactured or supplied the weapons used in the attacks and that the assailants were trained or directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"It cut me in half from my temple down through my jaw, and then took my gunner’s legs off, and then took the top of my truck commander’s head off," Bartlett told Fox News Digital. "I would end up dying three times and spent four years at the old Walter Reed receiving surgeries, reconstruction and rebuilding."

Bartlett was driving an armored Humvee on Route Pluto in Baghdad, May 3, 2005, when an explosively formed penetrator tore through the vehicle. Staff Sgt. William Brooks was killed, while Bartlett and two other soldiers were wounded. Bartlett suffered massive facial trauma.

The Army casualty report described Bartlett as "very seriously injured," with massive facial and dental trauma. He was the vehicle’s driver during the route-security mission when an explosive detonated from its right side.

Bartlett said the weapon was an Iranian-supplied explosively formed penetrator linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ campaign to arm militias attacking American forces in Iraq.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Efrat Lachter.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is spreading hateful and antisemitic rhetoric and endangering the lives of New Yorkers, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview at his Jerusalem residence.

"Mamdani does not respect my nation's right for self-determination … the Jewish people's inherent right to have a nation of their own. And he's basically spreading blasphemy, hate, antisemitic rhetoric. He should understand that he's risking his own citizens. He’s risking their safety, well-being and life," Herzog said.

In an incident that drew global attention, Mamdani posted a video on social media July 21 in which he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "a war criminal" and "the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people."

"This cannot be accepted in New York, which is a city which is dear to our heart, dear to the Israelis and dear to me personally," Herzog said.

"I think New York will continue way after Mamdani. And I hope he won't create an irreversible damage."

On Iran, Herzog said the regime has for decades posed a strategic threat to global stability and not only to Israel and the Middle East.

"They take their people's food and money and spend it on terror all over the world. It's a given fact," he said. "You ask yourself why a nation of this nature wants to have so much terror activity around the world, and that is because of ideology. … The ideology does not accommodate any other religion or moderate Islam, for that matter. That is why it is so dangerous."

Herzog said Tehran’s missile program, activities around the Strait of Hormuz, nuclear ambitions, domestic repression and support for regional terror proxies as evidence of the regime’s major threat to U.S. national security interests. He added that many Americans had been killed by the Islamic Republic.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Amelie Botbol.

Fox News host Mark Levin breaks down the Iranian regime's biggest fear, which he says is a revolution by the Iranian poeple.

President Donald Trump has said earlier in the Iran conflict that the U.S. and Israel considered attempting to arm Iranians, but did not follow through with the plan.

Iran's theocratic regime had just carried out a crackdown on protesters before the war began. Estimates say regime forces killed thousands of protesters during that period.

Retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward says the regime in Tehran is making a final push to stay in power as U.S. operations focus on eliminating its weapons production.

The comments come as Iranian officials agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once again as peace talks appear to have regained strength.

President Donald Trump said Saturday the United States held off on a planned military strike against Iran late Saturday night as Washington and Tehran work to quickly finalize a deal.

"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

"Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the parameters of a deal has been agreed to," he continued. "This would include the immediate, complete, and total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat."

Trump said he agreed to suspend the military operation while negotiations continue.

"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.

The president added that Israel supports the effort to reach an agreement.

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

Fox News' Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.