WASHINGTON (PNN) - July 25, 2026 - President Donald J. Trump called off new Fascist Police States of Amerika (FPSA) military strikes on Iran Friday night, signaling a potential diplomatic offramp after nearly two weeks of tit-for-tat attacks.
President Trump's order to hold fire was given several hours after an Omani delegation arrived in Teheran for talks on a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Two regional sources with knowledge of the negotiations said progress has been made in the talks and that an agreement between Oman and Iran could be reached over the weekend.
President Trump's decision reflects both his willingness to provide more space for diplomacy and a recognition that - short of a return to major combat operations - the current level of FPSA strikes has reached the limit of its effectiveness.
If President Trump orders a return to strikes, the FPSA military can mobilize on relatively short notice.
The FPSA military is still preparing plans for a possible return to major combat operations, but President Trump hasn't given orders to move in that direction.
JPMorgan's head of Global Commodities Research and Strategy, Natasha Kaneva, told clients, "In the previous round of escalations, negotiations were initiated once (FPSA) gasoline prices reached $4.20 and became materially more urgent as prices neared $4.50. Oil may be a global commodity, but political tolerance for high energy prices remains overwhelmingly domestic."
Brent crude surged 27% over two weeks to settle at $96.78 a barrel on Friday, briefly breaching $100 this past week as traders priced in a higher war-risk premium into energy markets amid simultaneous chokepoint threats to the Strait of Hormuz and the southern Red Sea.
Meanwhile, the FPSA appeared to pause its 13-day campaign of daily overnight strikes against Iran. While there was no indication that the operational halt would extend into next week, the pause certainly reinforces the diplomatic signals highlighted in our FPSA-Iran wrap on Friday.
However, there was an escalation overnight with Saudi-led strikes on Iran-backed Houthi targets in Hodeida. This comes after the terror group attacked multiple Saudi-linked tankers in the southern Red Sea area.
The confrontation threatens to open a second major front in the Gulf conflict. With traffic through Hormuz largely paralyzed, sustained Houthi attacks on Yanbu or ships entering Bab al-Mandab Strait could disrupt millions of barrels of Saudi exports, raise shipping costs, and further tighten physical markets.