Trump calls off retaliatory strikes on Iran as peace talks progress

In a stunning, late-night diplomatic reversal that has dramatically shifted the trajectory of the three-month-old war in West Asia, President Donald Trump has officially called off a massive wave of planned military strikes against Iran. The abrupt de-escalation came just hours after the president took to social media to warn that the U.S. was preparing to strike the Islamic Republic "VERY HARD TONIGHT." In a subsequent post on Truth Social, Trump revealed he pulled back the bombers because direct negotiations have suddenly achieved breakthroughs at the absolute highest levels of Iranian leadership. President Donald Trump is also putting maximum pressure on congressional leadership to immediately unlock a third party-line budget reconciliation package—this time demanding a massive $350 billion injection for the Pentagon to fast-track weapon stockpiles and his proposed "Golden Dome" missile defense shield. However, Senate Republican leaders are delivering a swift dose of political reality to the White House, explicitly declaring that another mega-spending bill is a total non-starter before the upcoming 2026 midterm elections.