U.S. forces were prepared to launch air strikes on Iran Thursday, but President Donald Trump called off the operation hours before takeoff, citing a breakthrough agreement with Tehran that would bar Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The United States military was on the brink of launching a second consecutive series of air strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran on Thursday, only to have the operation called off at the last minute by President Donald Trump.
Sources close to the Pentagon say that naval vessels in the Persian Gulf had already adjusted flight schedules, loaded precision munitions and were ready to execute a coordinated bombing campaign when the President announced that a breakthrough diplomatic understanding with Tehran was imminent. The decision came just three hours before the planned strike window opened, halting a pressure campaign that had already included the destruction of Iranian surveillance platforms, communications arrays and air‑defence installations the previous night.
According to the report, the raid that was being prepared for Thursday night closely mirrored the operation carried out the night before. While the earlier strike targeted a network of radar sites and missile launch facilities, planners indicated that Iran's primary oil‑export hub on Kharg Island would not be hit, despite the President's earlier public statements that the United States would eventually seize control of the island and other energy infrastructure.
Military officials said that throughout Thursday they continued to fine‑tune targeting lists, allocate fighter‑aircraft squadrons and establish electronic‑warfare support, expecting to proceed after Trump's forceful warning that the United States would hit Iran "very hard tonight.
" The unexpected pivot to diplomacy was triggered by a high‑level phone call between President Trump and Iranian officials, during which Tehran's leadership signaled that a framework for a nuclear‑non‑proliferation deal had been approved in principle. In the Oval Office, Trump told reporters that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had given his assent to the emerging agreement and that the United States would maintain its naval blockade of Iranian waters until the treaty was formally signed.
The President added that the agreement would prevent Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon, emphasizing that Iran would be barred from developing, purchasing or otherwise obtaining any nuclear capability. Trump used his Truth Social platform to announce the cancellation of the strikes, stating that discussions had been elevated to the highest levels of both governments and that a signing ceremony would be announced shortly.
In a televised rally later that evening, he declared that the "war" with Iran was over and that Tehran had pledged never to pursue a nuclear bomb. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke with Trump on the same day, praised the deal, noting that it would require the removal of enriched uranium, the dismantling of Iran's enrichment facilities, limits on missile production and an end to support for regional militant proxies.
Iranian officials, while acknowledging that negotiations were in an advanced stage, have not formally confirmed the President's claims. A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said that most of the negotiating text had been drafted but that a final decision was still pending. Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan have been working to resolve remaining issues concerning frozen Iranian assets, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a long‑term framework for nuclear inspections.
The episode underscores how close the United States came to a third night of kinetic action against Iran, highlighting the fragile interplay between military pressure and diplomatic outreach in U.S. policy toward the Middle East
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