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As Trump cites progress on deal to end war, Iran and Israel remain on alert

As President Donald Trump said he was canceling a planned strike on Iran - citing progress toward a deal to end the war - there was no immediate sign of a breakthrough in Tehran, and Israel said it remained on high alert.

Trump said on Truth Social late Saturday that U.S. forces were ready for a full-scale attack on Iran but would hold their fire after the parameters of a deal emerged with Tehran and Middle Eastern countries that would include the opening of the vital Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran's nuclear threat.

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"Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL," Trump said, adding that Israel shared this view.

Iran's acting defense minister, Majid Ebn-e-Reza, called Trump's post a form of "psychological operations and cognitive warfare" and would still brace for attacks. Iran's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the White House last week, did not immediately comment on Trump's post. Israel has been on high alert over the past week because of threats of renewed strikes from Iran.

"If Iran fires toward the state of Israel, we are prepared to attack it," Israel's energy and infrastructure minister, Eli Cohen, said in an interview Sunday with Galatz Army Radio. Cohen added that "there is very close defense and intelligence coordination between Israel and the U.S."

Trump's comments come in the wake of reports that Israel and the U.S. were set to carry out attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure. In response, Iranian security officials told state media that the country would retaliate by striking Israeli and U.S. energy facilities in the region, raising concerns in Persian Gulf countries that host American troops and from energy companies.

Last week, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched strikes on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities and announced a blockade of Saudi ships in the Red Sea. Other U.S. allies, like Kuwait, are reeling from successive Iranian attacks on vital desalination infrastructure.

In a call Sunday, Saudi Arabia's crown prince and de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman, urged Trump to de-escalate tensions in the region and to prevent the conflict from spiraling out of control, a statement carried by the Saudi State News agency said.

U.S. missions in the Middle East had urged Americans to "consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation."

Trump's tone Saturday was in contrast to heightened rhetoric in the past few days. On Wednesday, he threatened to hit Iran "hard" after U.S. forces intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile attack targeting American military assets in the region.

Since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, Trump has been mired in an unpopular war with no end in sight.

At least 18 U.S. service members have been killed, including four in recently renewed hostilities after Trump declared last month that a U.S.-Iran ceasefire was "over." More than 600 American service members have been wounded.

Since the collapse of the ceasefire, the U.S. has ramped up its strikes on Iran, and Tehran has escalated attacks on countries where U.S. troops are stationed, including Kuwait and Jordan.

In a televised Cabinet meeting Friday at Camp David, Trump called Iran's leaders "very dishonorable to deal with" and said they were losing the war.

"Just in case you read incorrect stories, they're doing very, very poorly. They're having a hard time," Trump said.

Federal authorities also say critical infrastructure systems in the U.S. could be at risk after at least seven states reported cyberattacks that interrupted their water or wastewater operations last week. The warning comes after U.S. intelligence officials said Iran was probably behind a coordinated cyberattack on more than 30 municipal water systems in Minnesota.

Trump has blamed Minnesota's government, not Iran, for that attack. The FBI did not respond to a request for comment Friday about whether it believed Iran was responsible, saying the agency and others were "fully engaged to protect critical infrastructure."

Ellen Nakashima and Pranshu Verma contributed to this report.