Middle East Crisis Iran War

Iran denies Trump's claim: We have not appealed to the US

Iranian representatives deny Donald Trump's claim that they have appealed to him to cancel their planned attack on the country, AFP reports.

"A new lie," the regime announced, according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr.

Representatives from the Revolutionary Guards say at the same time that Iranian forces are on alert and ready to act regardless of the course of events.

The US president wrote on Truth Social last night that the US had prepared for the largest attack since the days of World War II, but that he stopped it at the last moment:

"Based on this request, I have agreed to, for the good of the world and for the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, cancel the attack," he wrote.

Trump called off attack on Iran – claims deal is close

In a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump writes that the US paused an attack on Iran during the night of Sunday, because the countries have agreed on the "framework for a deal", reports TT. According to Trump, the pause will also apply to attacks that would have been carried out by Israel.

"The deal would include the immediate, complete and total opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat", Trump writes.

According to information to the news agency AP, the announcement came after Trump spoke on the phone with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is said to be concerned that the war is about to escalate further.

 

Analysis: Ignoring the US – a Winning Strategy

Iran's leaders show unity regarding the country's war strategy. By not bowing down to repeated US threats, the leadership is confident that it can achieve more than its enemies, AP correspondents write.

However, there seems to be disagreement, the news agency develops, about what this stance should lead to. While a large part of the Iranian leadership does not care about the US at all, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf is among those who seem to want to gain an advantage at the negotiating table.

"Negotiation is a political tool and a complement to military action," he wrote on Telegram on Thursday, according to AP.

The New York Times' Steven Erlanger believes that Iran, through its stance, has revealed a weakness in Trump's US that both Russia and China seem to welcome.

“Washington has started a war that they don’t seem to know how to win or end,” he writes.