Trump ordered US strikes on Iran to stop, Axios reports
Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump ordered a halt to strikes on Iranian territory after 13 days of attacks, according to Axios.
Sources said that, for two weeks, Trump had approved military strike plans presented to him each afternoon, with the operations carried out within hours.
On Friday, July 24, Trump received another proposed strike plan but declined to give it the green light. Instead, he ordered the military to stand down.
Later that day, after issuing the order, Trump told reporters at the White House that he retained the option to continue or even escalate the campaign, including by "knocking out everything" Iran has.
At the same time, he indicated that he believes the "smarter strategy" is to "make a deal" with Iran.
"We're talking to the Iranians right now. I think they're getting more and more serious as the days go by. We're locked and loaded and ready to go, but we're talking to them," Trump said.
Later that day, the US president attended the White House Correspondents Association dinner, the same event that had been disrupted several months earlier by a shooting. Speaking with reporters, Trump said he believes Iran is not yet ready for a deal, but that he is willing to listen.
According to Axios, Trump's decision reflects both his willingness to give diplomacy more room and his assessment that the current level of US strikes has reached the limits of its effectiveness—unless the conflict escalates into a broader military campaign.
It remains unclear whether Trump's order on Friday was a one-time decision or whether the pause in strikes will continue. However, if he orders the campaign to resume, the US military could quickly mobilize.
Sources said the US military continues to prepare plans for a possible return to large-scale combat operations, but Trump has not yet instructed it to move forward.
Notably, Trump's order to halt the strikes came just hours after an Omani delegation arrived in Tehran for talks on a new framework for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Based on the sources, Oman and Iran could reach an agreement over the weekend. Trump would then have to decide whether to accept the proposed deal.
Israel expected to join strikes
According to Israeli sources, the Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces had expected another round of US strikes on Friday and were preparing for the possibility that a major American attack could trigger Iranian retaliation against Israel.
The Israeli government and military were uncertain about Washington's next move, so they prepared for a large-scale escalation and remained on high alert.
However, by Friday evening, Israeli officials were informed that Trump had not approved any new strikes.
