Negotiation Day: Iran Attacks Canceled

President Trump called off planned strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure late Saturday night, announcing that "the perimeters of a deal" had emerged with Tehran. The about-face came after U.S. officials told ABC that forces were prepared for what would have been a major escalation in the conflict — strikes targeting Iran's energy infrastructure, the kind of attack not seen since World War II. But within hours, the administration's position shifted from imminent military action to negotiation, leaving observers unsure whether a genuine breakthrough is at hand or whether this is another chapter in a pattern of brinkmanship that has failed to produce a final agreement.

The Deal That May or May Not Exist

Trump posted that U.S. forces were ready for a full-scale attack but that he would hold off after parameters of a deal emerged with Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries. The deal would include opening the Strait of Hormuz and ending Iran's nuclear threat. "What we're doing is we're talking to them in the form of a negotiation," Trump told reporters. "It begins tomorrow afternoon. And we'll see you at two. I'd love to do that. Save a lot of lives."