Wall Street Journal editorial criticizes Trump’s recent Iran policy shift

The Wall Street Journal editorial board said President Donald Trump’s recent decision to halt planned attacks on Iran after a week of heightened threats demonstrated “signals of weakness” that could advantage Tehran. The paper noted that Trump announced on his social-media platform that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked the United States to hold off any strike, describing the move as a reversal in a conflict that has seen multiple escalations and de-escalations over the past five months.

The editorial argued that Iran has gained “escalation dominance” and cited reports that Saudi Arabia urged Trump to call off attacks over concerns the Iranian regime might target its oil infrastructure. It added that Tehran interprets any perceived U.S. hesitation as an opening to increase its influence in the Strait of Hormuz.

"Iran’s regime knows signals of weakness when it hears them," the Journal wrote.

The piece also referenced a memorandum of understanding signed in June, suggesting the agreement was intended to avoid a prolonged conflict and that Trump later framed the deal as a way to prevent being compared to former President Herbert Hoover.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that the strikes he had prepared would have been “the biggest attack since World War II,” but that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran had persuaded him to stand down.

"They said we’d like to make a deal now. You know, I don’t know what they say because a lot of times they’ll say that to me and then they’ll go out and say we don’t know what he’s talking about," Trump said.