President Trump again delayed the planned U.S. airstrikes on Iran overnight Friday, according to Israeli media reports. Israeli officials were on high alert. Trump also issued a veiled threat to Russia and China, warning that selling weapons to Iran would be 'very bad' for them, as Israeli security sources reported.
Tonight, President Trump again delayed the planned U.S. airstrikes on Iran, marking the second postponement reported today, and issued a veiled warning to Russia and China against selling weapons to Tehran. The development comes after a day of conflicting signals: earlier today, Israeli media reported that the U.S. had refrained from striking for the first time in nearly two weeks, with Trump discussing potential escalation with advisors while keeping diplomatic channels open (The Zioneer, 13:15 Jerusalem). By early evening, The Zioneer reported that Trump had delayed a major strike overnight Friday, keeping Israel on high alert (18:28 Jerusalem). Now, additional Israeli media reports confirm that the delay was again ordered, and that Trump specifically warned Russia and China that arming Iran would be "very bad" for them.
The thread began at 13:15 Jerusalem, when The Zioneer first reported that CENTCOM had conducted no strikes overnight, possibly due to the White House Correspondents' Association dinner. That report was followed by confirmation that the 13-night streak of strikes had been broken, and later that the U.S. refrained from striking while Trump discussed escalation. The source quality evolved from unnamed American media sources to Israeli media reports citing Israeli officials. By 18:28 Jerusalem, The Zioneer's own article cited Israeli officials expressing deep skepticism as Washington paused for a final diplomatic opening.
The wider context, as The Zioneer has reported over the past weeks, includes Trump previously canceling a night of strikes (June 11), discussing a short-duration campaign (June 10), and insisting that diplomacy has not been abandoned (June 11). Israeli analysts have warned of eroding deterrence due to repeated delays. The new warning to Russia and China adds a geopolitical dimension, as Western officials assess both countries have been assisting Iran in attacks on U.S. forces.
No new timeline for a strike has been announced, and it remains unclear whether the warning will affect the behavior of Russia and China. The repeated delays have drawn criticism from Israeli analysts.
9 developments
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Source and signal
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