The Dictatorship
Trump’s Iran strike deadlines keep shifting: A timeline of delays
President Donald Trump’s decision Thursday to cancel planned military strikes against Iran was the latest twist in a monthslong cycle of threats, self-imposed deadlines and extensions that have repeatedly brought the United States and Iran to the brink of escalation — before pulling back.
Since the beginning of the Feb. 28 conflict, Trump has publicly set at least eight deadlines for military action against Iran, only to cancel them.
The latest pause came Thursday. Trump spent the morning threatening that the U.S. was prepared to escalate its military campaign against Iran, pledging strikes that would be “bigger” and “more powerful” as the two countries exchanged fire for a third time this week. Trump also threatened to target Iran’s energy sectorwarning that the U.S. would take control of Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub.
Hours later, Trump called off strikes he said were scheduled for that evening, saying discussions with Tehran have been “approved by all parties involved.”
However, Iran state-run media reported that Tehran has not approved any agreements.
These repeated reversals have highlighted the volatile and unpredictable nature of the fragile talks, which have oscillated between warnings of imminent military action and optimistic declarations that a deal is close at hand.
Below is a timeline of each time Trump has publicly delayed or canceled planned military action since the conflict began, according to MS NOW’s count.
March 21
The cycle began when Trump issueda 48-hour ultimatum on March 21, warning that Iran’s electrical infrastructure could be targeted if Tehran failed to comply with U.S. demands.
March 23
Two days later,on March 23, Trump delayedplanned strikes by five days, saying negotiations were moving toward a “complete and total resolution” of hostilities.
March 26
Three days after that, Trump pushed backa deadline for attacks on Iranian electrical facilities by 11 days, saying talks were progressing “very well.”
April 5
In April, Trump revised deadlines tied to demands that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz. On April 5, the White House confirmed Trump had shifted a deadline after previously signaling action could come sooner.
April 7
Two days later, on April 7, he extended a military pause by two weeks.
April 21
Two weeks later, Trump indefinitely postponed another deadline after appeals from Pakistani officials, saying Iran would first need to submit a unified proposal before military action would be considered.
May 18
On May 18, Trump said he had canceled a planned military attack at the request of leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates because “serious negotiations” were underway.
June 11
In his latest walk-back, Trump announcedon Truth Social that he had called off strikes scheduled for later in the day, saying negotiators had reached an agreement on the key elements of a memorandum of understanding that could lead to a broader deal.
Trump described the emerging framework as a “strong memorandum of understanding” and said final documents could be completed within days, adding that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen shortly after a tentative signing ceremony but stopped short of providing a firm deadline.
According to Iranian state media and a source familiar with the negotiations who spoke to MS NOW, Iran still has not formally endorsed any proposed peace agreement.
Iran’s Fars News Agency, citing a source close to the negotiating team, reported that Tehran has not approved the text of any memorandum of understanding with the U.S. and that no final agreement has been reached.
Laura Barrón-López contributed to this report.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at BLN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
Akayla Gardner is a White House correspondent for MS NOW.