US President Donald Trump abruptly called off a new round of planned strikes on Iran on Saturday after some of Washington’s Gulf allies pushed for deescalation.
The pause was contingent upon “rapidly” arriving at a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, as Iran and Oman discussed a new shipping route that Tehran said would not reopen the strait.
Some Gulf allies have expressed frustration at what they see as a lack of clear strategy from the US, The Wall Street Journal reported, and requested more missile interceptors, as the conflict continues to stretch US military assets: The US’ top general in Europe privately warned last week that he lacked the resources to protect Israel from Iranian missiles, The Washington Post reported.