U.S. Attack on Iran Was Hours Away Before Trump Announced Deal, NBC Reports

The U.S. military was about three hours from launching strikes on Iran on Thursday evening before President Donald Trump announced on social media that a deal had been reached and the operation was called off, according to NBC News citing American officials. The report says naval ships had already prepared munitions for the planned attack, and forces were ready after receiving Trump’s order to strike that night.

Officials said the island of Kharg was not on the target list, despite Trump’s public threats on Truth Social. Earlier on Thursday, he wrote: “We will hit them tonight, and in the near future we will take over Kharg Island.” One source said that post did not match the military’s actual planning or what it was preparing to do that day.

According to two U.S. officials, commanders began shaping the specific Thursday-night strike plans only after Trump’s morning post. At the same time, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told military leaders he wanted the Iran strikes to look different from the options presented to him in recent weeks.

The officials said the military was even more surprised by Trump’s announcement canceling the strikes than by his earlier threats about the operation and taking Kharg Island. The cancellation was decided after Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine came to the White House to discuss options with Trump, and the president posted the cancellation shortly after that meeting ended.