Trump Halts Strikes on Iran in Hope of 'Quick Deal'
A cautious calm prevails across the Middle East following a period of heightened alert and escalation that reached its peak, before US President Donald Trump announced that the United States and Israel had agreed to suspend planned strikes, at the request of Iran and other regional countries, contingent on reaching a swift agreement to halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, while Iranian military officials denied that the Islamic Republic had asked the United States to refrain from attacking it, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that negotiations between Tehran and the Sultanate of Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz had entered their final stages.
Tehran also confirmed the existence of mediation efforts to revive the memorandum of understanding with Washington.
Trump wrote on his platform, Truth Social, on Sunday morning, that the United States was “ready to strike the Islamic Republic of Iran with levels of military terror and force unseen since World War II.”
He added, “However, Iran and other countries in the Middle East have just asked us to suspend any attack. In response to this request, and for the future interest of the world and to ensure Iran remains a successful and prosperous country, I have agreed to cancel the attack, provided a swift agreement is reached,” adding, “Israel shares this commitment with me.”
Earlier reports indicated that Trump had ordered the Department of Defense to prepare to continue strikes after concluding that the diplomatic track had failed to yield the desired results and that military pressure had become the most effective option to push Tehran toward concessions.
In Tehran, Mehr News Agency, citing Iranian military officials, denied the US president’s claims, affirming that the armed forces were “on maximum alert and ready for any contingency.”
Fars News Agency quoted a source close to the negotiation team as saying that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed as long as what it described as “US hostile actions” continued.
The source added that ships would only be able to pass through routes announced by Tehran and after obtaining permission from the Revolutionary Guard Navy.
For his part, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei stated, “We are currently exploring with Oman a transit route in the Strait of Hormuz that is neither the northern nor the southern route... and it must safeguard our shared interests,” noting that “our negotiations with Oman are bilateral and not linked to any other party.”
Baghaei stressed that “the situation in the Strait of Hormuz cannot return to what it was before the war.”
In a related development, state media reported that Araghchi, during phone calls with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, and Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir, warned of “the risks of escalation,” affirming that Iran was “fully prepared to defend itself” and would “respond proportionately” to any attack.
In a message published via the Telegram app, Araghchi said that “the United States, Israel, and any relevant Gulf states would bear full responsibility for any new attacks.”
The National Security Council-affiliated news agency, Noor News, stated that any US attacks on energy infrastructure would prompt Tehran to strike oil and gas fields in the region, adding that “everything will burn until it turns to ash.”
Meanwhile, Hassan Qashqavi, spokesperson for the National Security Committee of the Parliament, said that “efforts are underway, particularly by mediators, to revive the 14-point Islamabad agreement.”
Iran’s Hamshahri newspaper channel, via its Telegram account, published a video discussing the possibilities and capabilities of audio file tracking by intelligence agencies, answering the question: Why is no audio recording of the Third Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, released?
Every enclosed space has a unique acoustic fingerprint. By measuring the time it takes for sound energy to decay by 60 decibels after the source stops, one can estimate the approximate volume of the room. Intelligence agencies, by matching these acoustic fluctuations against real-time national databases, can pinpoint the exact date and time, and even the specific segment of the power grid at the recording location. Each microphone and recording device leaves a distinct imprint on the audio file. Mobile phone microphones attenuate low frequencies, while low-cost components introduce characteristic harmonic distortion that serves as a device-specific fingerprint. Sounds from ventilation systems, generators, or cooling equipment reveal the technical specifications of the site. Even in open spaces, wind noise, traffic patterns, aircraft flight altitudes, or even the local species of insects and birds can narrow the geographic range.
