Trump Cancels Tonight’s Attack on Iran; Says Iran, Israel, Middle East Nations Have Agreed to Peace Pact

President Donald Trump has canceled tonight’s attacks on Iran because it has agreed to U.S. peace terms.

The peace pact comes after U.S. forces hit Iran with almost 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles last night and Trump’s threat this morning to hit Iran “very hard” again tonight.

Trump said that Israel and the Arab states had agreed to the terms.

If Israel doesn’t sabotage the deal by attacking Iran or southern Lebanon, Marines and soldiers might be spared the mission of seizing Kharg Island. Trump threatened that attack in the same social media post.

Speaking on Fox News, Trump not only said that U.S. forces would seize Iran’s Kharg Island, which handles 90 percent of the nation’s oil exports, but also claimed that capturing the island and its facilities was “always” his “preference.”

The startling revelation during an interview on Fox & Friends suggested that gaining control of Iran’s oil was on Trump’s agenda from the beginning, despite starting the war at the behest of Israel.

“My Preference”

Americans woke up this morning to news that U.S. forces hit Iran with 49 Tomahawk cruise missiles last night. Trump told Fox News from the White House Situation Room that Iranian officials were so shaken by the brutal attack that they called him to sue for peace.

He also said that U.S. forces would “bomb the s***” out of Iran if it didn’t agree to U.S. peace terms.

But on Truth Social, Trump sallied forth with a remarkable threat.

Iran will be hit “VERY HARD TONIGHT,” Trump vowed:

At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly for both Venezuela and the United States of America. 

Shortly thereafter, Trump elaborated on that heretofore unknown reason for attacking Iran.

“Look, my preference has always been to take Kharg Island,” Trump told the worthies at Fox, noting he told network talkers Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones, one of the Fox & Friends hosts, the same thing: 

Lawrence knows it. I spoke to him a long time ago, I said my preference would be that. I don’t know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest with you. You’d make a fortune. But I don’t know that America has the stomach, I think they’d like to see us come home.

But we did it with Venezuela. Venezuela’s worked out great for everybody. We’ve taken millions and millions of barrels of oil out of Venezuela. We brought them to Houston and various other places, Louisiana, where, you know, refineries that we have, that are incredible, they’re going 24 hours a day, making a fortune.

And you know, I’d like that in this case too. But I’m not sure that America has a long time — you know, it’s a little longer process, something that’s a guarantee, if I want to do it. But I’m not sure the country has the appetite for it … as good as it is. That’s always been my number one thing. But as good as it is, I’m not sure the country has the appetite for it, and that’s OK, I understand that.

Trump also said U.S. forces have virtually destroyed Iran’s military capability, but that even if Iran surrendered and signed “the greatest deal in history,” the media would declare Iran the war’s victor.

“They could wave the white flag of surrender,” Trump said:

They could say we surrender, we surrender, we’re  finished, we’ve had it, the United States is the greatest power, praise be to Allah. And they could do all of this, they could say it loud and clear and the fake news would say it was a great victory for Iran.

“We’re killing them, it’s killing them,” Trump said of U.S. attacks:

They have no navy, they have no air force, they have no anti-aircraft. … They’re finished.

No Attack Tonight

But this afternoon, Trump announced on Truth Social that he had canceled tonight’s attack because a peace deal is set.

“Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” Trump wrote:

Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others. The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly.

Canceled attack aside, Trump’s admission that he always wanted to seize Kharg Island has not been among his oft-stated reasons for going to war.

When he announced that he ordered the attack, he said Iran must not be permitted to obtain a nuclear weapon. The Iranians must topple their government, he said, a call for regime change. As well, Trump said, U.S. forces would “annihilate their navy.”

Then Secretary of State Marco Rubio confessed that Trump ordered the attack because he and his top officials knew Israel was about to attack, an admission that Israel forced Trump’s hand.

Trump contradicted Rubio. Iran was about to attack the United States, he claimed, and he likely pulled Israel into the war.

The New York Times disclosed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cajoled Trump into attacking with a presentation in the White House Situation Room, which intelligence officials assessed as “farcical” and “bullsh*t.”