New Delhi, Aug. 2 -- WASHINGTON - Iranian military commanders who had spent Friday night tracking American strike packages positioning across the Gulf woke Saturday morning to a Truth Social post. Donald Trump, who hours earlier had presided over a Camp David war council, announced he had called off the planned bombardment of Iran and was pursuing an immediate deal instead.

The reversal came after a cascade of diplomatic calls, most notably from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who contacted Trump directly on Saturday to urge reconsideration. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Pakistan also raised objections, according to a senior U.S. official speaking on the condition of anonymity. In his post, Trump said that "Iran an...