Trump Abruptly Cancels Iran Strike Hours Before Launch, NBC Says

The U.S. military was about three hours from beginning another strike on Iran when President Donald Trump suddenly said a deal had been reached and ordered the operation canceled, NBC reported, citing two informed American officials. According to the report, the military had already received Trump’s order for strikes to be carried out on the night between Thursday and Friday, and U.S. Navy ships had adjusted their plans and readied munitions for firing at targets inside Iran.

Officials said the strike order was pulled only hours before execution. They stressed that Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil-export hub, was not among the planned targets, despite Trump’s earlier threat that the United States could seize the island and other oil infrastructure. One official said, “None of the plans or actions the military was preparing to carry out had anything to do with the island.”

The U.S. military has had plans for months to strike Kharg Island and even seize it, but officials said these were routine contingency plans and had not been approved by Trump. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had asked military officials to develop options different from those presented in recent weeks. Still, the planned attacks were said to have closely resembled the American strike waves carried out in Iran in recent days.

Senior U.S. officials said the military was more surprised by the cancellation than by Trump’s earlier threat that Iran would be hit “very hard tonight,” and by his suggestion that the U.S. might take Kharg Island. Shortly before the cancellation, Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine met Trump at the White House to discuss options against Iran. After the meeting, Trump announced the strikes were off and said progress had been made toward an agreement. Meanwhile, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz continued overnight, as U.S. forces shot down two Iranian attack drones that were apparently trying to hit commercial ships. A U.S. official said, “It appears Iran tried to attack commercial vessels. U.S. forces shot down two one-way attack drones. Traffic through the strait continues.”