Trump to order halt to Tehran attack in hope of reaching deal to end war

United States President Donald Trump has backpedaled on a planned "lock and loaded" attack on Iran after claiming Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries had sought it and that the perimeters of a deal have been agreed to, including the Strait of Hormuz reopening.

Trump's latest walk back came after a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud late Saturday amid a wave of warnings from Iran that vowed a decisive response and retaliation that would go beyond the region.

According to an update from the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday, the Saudi Crown Prince "stressed the need to prioritize dialogue to reduce escalation" in his phone call with Trump.

READ MORE: Trump says US to hold off attack on Iran

He also stressed the importance of making every possible effort to achieve calm that paves the way for diplomatic solutions, preserves the region's security and stability, and prevents a wider conflict whose repercussions would affect regional and international security and stability.

In a social media post, Trump had said the US "is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II".

"Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal have been agreed to. This would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Hormuz Strait, and an end to Iran's nuclear threat," said Trump.

"Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the world and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a deal. The Country of Israel joins me in this commitment. Get to work, everybody, and get it done," he added.

But Iran's military sources denied on Sunday Trump's claim that Tehran had asked Washington to call off its strikes, calling his remarks "a new lie", Xinhua News Agency reported.

Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Aref said the government has planned for the next two years, "even for the worst conditions".

Ebrahim Rezaei, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said on Sunday that Iran's response to a potential attack will not be limited to the Persian Gulf area, Mehr News Agency reported.

"We will respond to all enemy bases and to the source of the attacks, from wherever they originate," Rezaei was quoted as saying by Mehr.

A similar warning was issued by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to his Turkish and Pakistani counterparts on Sunday of the consequences of US' "aggressive and destabilizing" actions, and stressed Iran's readiness to defend itself.

Rasha Al Joundy, a senior researcher at the Dubai Public Policy Research Centre, told China Daily that Trump "wants to reach a deal" and that any threat "is part of his strategy to push Iran for an end to the war".

"But what was on the table before this war is different than what is on the table after it (mainly, the Strait of Hormuz). I believe this issue is consuming more negotiation time than anything else, including the nuclear stockpile," said Al Joundy.

She said that all Gulf Cooperation Council countries — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar — have an interest in ending the war and that they "did not stop trying to be involved for this purpose".

'Political leverage'

"Saudi Arabia's normalization (of ties) with Israel could give it some political leverage with Trump but the US has many economic, strategic interests with all the GCC countries and it will not yield fruit unless the war ends," said Al Joundy.

"The real work in these talks is reaching a balance between what the US can accept and what Iran thinks it can get, and what the GCC is willing to support. Taking into account that Israel should accept whatever scenario being reached," she added.

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This is not the first time Trump has retreated from his threats, popularizing the term TACO, which is short for "Trump Always Chickens Out".

Prior to this, his most recent about-turn was on June 11 after threatening to attack Iran "very hard", including the threat of seizing Kharg Island and taking over total control of the country's oil facilities. Trump cited US discussions with Iran's top leadership for the reversal of his decision.

A similar situation happened on April 1, when the US president warned that the Washington would "bomb Iran into the Stone Age" after it refused to capitulate on Hormuz and days later on April 7, Trump said "a whole civilization will die tonight" in a threat that prompted a global outcry. The following day, Pakistan secured a fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

Cui Haipei in Dubai, UAE, contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com