(US, 26th) US President Trump, on the 24th Eastern Time, ordered the US military to suspend strikes against Iran, breaking the streak of 13 consecutive days of US airstrikes on Iran.
The US news website Axios quoted two sources as reporting that for the past two weeks, Trump had approved the military’s proposed strike plans every afternoon, with these actions usually being carried out within hours. However, after receiving a similar plan on the 24th, Trump did not approve it. Instead, he instructed the military not to carry out the strike, thus ending 13 consecutive days of military action.
It is currently unclear whether this is just a one-off measure. Shortly after issuing the order to halt airstrikes, Trump stated to the media at the White House that the US still retains the capability to continue or even escalate attacks, including the complete destruction of Iran’s existing facilities.
However, he emphasized that reaching an agreement with Iran would be a “smarter strategy.”
The New York Times reported that Trump, after ordering strikes on Iran for nearly two consecutive weeks, abruptly called off several plans for escalation. The main reason was concern that the conflict might escalate and severely deplete the already reduced stockpile of air defense ammunition.
The report also stated that Trump and his top aides were worried that if the conflict in the Middle East expanded, it might not only alienate Persian Gulf allies vulnerable to Iranian attacks from the US, but could also impact the global economy and worsen energy and refugee crises.
The NYT quoted two people familiar with discussions in the Trump administration as saying that after a meeting with senior advisers and cabinet officials on the 24th, a turning point occurred in the handling of the Iran conflict. In an interview on the 23rd, Trump had said he was considering launching an unprecedented attack.