Trump Abruptly Cancels U.S. Strike on Iran Hours Before Launch

According to NBC, the U.S. military was about three hours from carrying out strikes on Iran on Thursday evening when President Donald Trump suddenly announced a deal and halted the operation. American officials quoted in the report said the armed forces had already been ordered to prepare, and U.S. Navy ships had adjusted air plans and loaded munitions for the mission.

The report said the island of Kharg, which Trump had publicly threatened only hours earlier, was not among the approved targets. U.S. military contingency plans had included possible strikes and even an invasion scenario for Kharg over recent months, but Trump had never approved them.

Trump told supporters on a campaign call for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Burt Jones, whom he backs, that “the war with Iran ended today.” He said Tehran had committed not to possess nuclear weapons, which he described as the core U.S. objective. “That was the whole goal, that was 95% of it,” he said. In another appearance, he said Washington had reached a “great deal” with Iran and added, “It’s almost done. We got everything we wanted.”

NBC said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had instructed top military officials during the day to present strike options different from those discussed in recent weeks. Officials familiar with the matter said commanders only began finalizing the operational plan after Trump’s public statements about possible military action. The decision to cancel the strike came after a White House meeting between Trump, Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine, and Trump announced the cancellation shortly afterward on Truth Social. Military officials said they were surprised both by Trump’s hard-line public tone and by the last-minute halt to the operation.