US Strike on Iran Called Off Hours Before Launch as Trump Claims Deal

The U.S. military was about three hours from launching missile strikes on targets inside Iran when President Donald Trump suddenly announced on social media that an agreement had been reached and canceled the operation, NBC reported, citing two U.S. officials. The officials said American forces were fully prepared, Navy ships had already adjusted their flight schedules and armed their aircraft, and the strike orders came directly from Trump for an evening attack. They also said there was a major gap between Trump’s public posts and the actual military plan.

Although Trump had publicly threatened to hit Iran’s oil infrastructure on Kharg Island, the officials said the island was not among the targets approved for that night. Contingency plans for Kharg Island had existed for months as part of routine military planning, but Trump never authorized them. NBC said the detailed strike plan for that evening began only after an early-morning post in which Trump promised a severe attack. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asked senior military officers for a plan different from the broader options shown to him in previous weeks, and the final version was similar to strikes carried out the previous night.

The cancellation was decided after Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine arrived at the White House to present options to the president. Soon afterward, Trump announced the mission was off, surprising senior officers even more than his earlier threats. Later, during a phone rally for Alabama Senate candidate Barry Moore, Trump said the U.S. had reached an understanding with Iran, calling it a “great deal.” He said Iran would not get nuclear weapons, American citizens would begin returning home very soon, and the U.S. had gotten everything it wanted.

Tehran denied that any final agreement had been signed or completed. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said no deal had been finalized, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. At the same time, tensions at sea escalated further. Tasnim reported that Iranian forces stopped an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it had entered territorial waters without coordination and against instructions. NBC also said U.S. forces intercepted two Iranian suicide drones that tried to hit civilian ships in the strait, while maritime traffic there continued normally.