Trump 'cancels' Iran strikes as Israeli attacks on Gaza continue

What Happened

US President Donald Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that he agreed to cancel a planned attack on Iran, pending a rapid deal on Iran’s nuclear programme and the 'Immediate, Complete and Total' reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said Iran and 'other Middle Eastern Countries' requested time to complete such a deal, and Israel 'joins me in this commitment'. The announcement followed a claim by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that its Aerospace Force struck the US F‑35 repair hangar and ramp at Al‑Azraq Air Base in Jordan with multiple ballistic missiles on Saturday. Axios, citing unnamed US officials, reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump on Saturday to urge de‑escalation, while Saudi state media said the crown prince stressed dialogue to avoid a wider conflict. Separately, Israeli airstrikes continued in Gaza: the Israeli military said it killed two Hamas commanders, Salem Jamal Abd al‑Rahman Abu Labad of the Nukhba special forces and Muhammad Abd al‑Nasser Muhammad Khatib of the Maghazi Battalion, on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, Israeli strikes killed nine Palestinians, including three children, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. In Cairo, a Hamas delegation met Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials, calling for joint efforts to force an end to Israel’s offensive and a full withdrawal from Gaza.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The episode illustrates the hair‑trigger escalatory cycle between Washington and Tehran, with Iran demonstrating a willingness to strike US bases via ballistic missiles while Trump uses the threat of military force to extract nuclear and maritime concessions. Saudi Arabia’s rapid mediation underscores a Gulf state taking a more active role in regional de‑escalation. Meanwhile, the ongoing Israeli campaign in Gaza and the Cairo meeting between Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad create a parallel crisis that complicates any broader regional ceasefire and risks drawing Iran’s proxy network further into open confrontation.

Watch For

Whether US‑Iran backchannel negotiations over the nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz materialise in the coming days; any further IRGC or proxy missile claims against US bases; Saudi Arabia’s follow‑up diplomatic demarches; the outcome of the Hamas‑PIJ talks in Cairo on a truce and Israeli withdrawal; and the pace of Israeli strikes in Gaza as the humanitarian toll rises.