US Delays Iran Strike but Standoff at Strait of Hormuz Shows No Exit

Tehran, Iran – President Donald Trump has once again decided to postpone a large-scale attack on Iran, but negotiations over how to manage vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have yet to yield a breakthrough.

Fars News Agency, affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that on Sunday afternoon, numerous ships remained stuck in the northern corridor of the strategic waterway, which lies within Iranian waters, and could only pass if permitted by Iran's armed forces. Iranian officials also stated that the same would apply to the southern corridor passing through Oman's territorial waters.

The decision not to proceed with the attack, which had been anticipated, was announced by Mr. Trump on social media on Sunday morning. He said the move came after a request from Iran and several regional countries, as 'the outlines of a deal' had been agreed upon. This potential agreement, according to Mr. Trump, would include 'the IMMEDIATE, COMPLETE, AND TOTAL OPENING OF THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ, along with an end to Iran's nuclear threat.'

Iran's acting Defense Minister, Brigadier General Majid Ebn-e-Reza, characterized the U.S. leader's retreat as being made 'in the context of psychological operations and a calculated war.' He emphasized on social media that Iran's armed forces treat every threat as real, stating, 'We will not be taken by surprise, nor will we be caught off guard.'

Earlier, Iran's wartime command on Saturday warned that U.S. and allied interests in the region could be attacked in retaliation if Washington carried out airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, including power plants and petrochemical producers.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with President Trump by phone before the latter announced the halt to the strikes. Saudi state media reported that the Crown Prince stressed the need to prioritize dialogue to 'de-escalate and the importance of exerting every effort to achieve a calm atmosphere, paving the way for a diplomatic solution.' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also held a phone call with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan, on Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, in Tehran, many residents expressed skepticism about Mr. Trump's latest statement, recalling that he had made similar escalated threats before announcing a ceasefire in April. Rana, a resident of western Tehran, told Al Jazeera: 'I don't pay much attention to the latest cycle of threats. I worry they will soon bomb urban areas again, but we have no choice about what happens next.'

Numerous other mediators, including Pakistan, Qatar, Oman, and Turkey, have been continuously exchanging messages, trying to bring Iran and the United States closer to an agreement after the memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached in June collapsed within less than a month. That deal had partially opened the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. lifting a blockade on southern Iranian ports and allowing a two-month easing of oil sanctions. However, all terms were subsequently canceled, and military attacks resumed, raising concerns about a larger conflict.

The U.S. maintained that the memorandum permitted vessels to pass through the southern corridor of the strait, but Iran insisted the agreement gave its armed forces the right to arrange passage. The IRGC has continued to intercept or fire upon ships attempting to use the route near Oman's coast.

The conflict has also spread to the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb, where Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have attacked Saudi energy facilities and attempted to strike or block Saudi-linked vessels. The region was relatively quieter on Sunday as both Iran and the U.S. refrained from launching major new attacks.

Even before the war, Iranians faced chronic inflation, an energy crisis, and other economic hardships due to mismanagement, corruption, and U.S. sanctions. The Iranian government is struggling with a severe budget deficit and has repeatedly failed to pay salaries to some civil servants.

Iranian state media reported on Sunday that President Masoud Pezeshkian called during a meeting with leaders of public universities to ask why faculty and staff had not received their salaries this month.

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader elected in March after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in the opening strikes of the war, has yet to make any public appearance amid the ongoing dispute over the Strait of Hormuz. The Hamshahri newspaper, affiliated with the Tehran city administration, posted a video on Saturday suggesting that the main reason for this absence was security, as 'enemies' of the Islamic Republic could gather information about the acoustics of the room where the Supreme Leader is located, as well as other data, even if only an audio message from Khamenei were released.

Also on Saturday, a hardline Tehran parliamentarian named Ali Khezrian argued that the Islamic Republic needs to build underground 'governance cities' to protect against airstrikes. He said: 'We must be able to keep leaders and officials safe underground and inside mountains, away from the risk of assassination.'