The Times of Israel reports:

Late Saturday, Trump said Iran had agreed to open the strait and announced that he had called off a major attack on the Islamic Republic, adding that Israel was on board. Tehran denied there was a deal.

According to Channel 12, Israel was to be part of the attack, which was called off about 24 hours before it was set to begin, and only learned that it would not be carried out after Trump published a message to that effect in a social media post.

Planning for the attack began on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Trump at the White House, according to the report.

The US Central Command prepared an attack plan on Iranian energy infrastructure. “Israel was supposed to be part of the plan,” a US official told Channel 12.

Israel told the US that if the attack did not significantly damage Iranian economic and regime targets, there would be no point in carrying it out.

On Friday and Saturday, Qatar engaged in intensive talks with Iran, the US, and Oman to try to head off the attack and open up the Strait of Hormuz, according to the report.

Qatari officials told Trump on Saturday that they needed another day to reach a solution with Iran, and he agreed. Later in the day, Qatar told Trump that Iran had agreed to a proposal to open the Strait.

Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman called Trump to urge him not to strike, and Trump then posted on Truth Social that he was calling off the attack and that Iran had agreed to open the strait and end its nuclear program.

According to the report, neither Israel nor the US military’s Central Command were told of Trump’s decision, and learned of it – along with the rest of the world – by way of the president’s social media post. [Continue reading…]