“We’re all set to go, but when the allies ask to call it off, you got to sort of say, ‘Well, let’s see.’ And the reason they asked is I think there’s a deal,” Trump said. “There’s a deal on Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on the nuclear, or you might call it the denuclearization of Iran. I call it the denuclearization of Iran.”

“We had an attack that would be the biggest attack since World War II, and it would’ve been disastrous for them,” Trump said. “And they didn’t want us to do it. And, and frankly, Saudi Arabia didn’t want it either. They thought that a deal is imminent.”

Trump said he spoke directly with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “I said, ‘What would you rather do? Would you rather have us do this or not?’ They said, ‘We would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack.’ Because you don’t know where these attacks lead. I mean, will they be flooded with people pouring into their country and disaster?”

TRUMP SAYS HE CALLED OFF IRAN STRIKES TO ‘MAKE A DEAL’ WITH TEHRAN

WE’VE SEEN THIS MOVIE BEFORE: This is not the first time Trump has announced that he was pausing military action because Iran, or third-party mediators, reported that a negotiated settlement was largely agreed to. In fact, it’s at least the eighth time, according to the Associated Press, which notes it happened twice in April, once in May, twice in June, twice in July, and now again in August. 

Trump acknowledged there have been many false starts, which he blames on Iran’s duplicity. “I’m losing faith in them, because they do lie,” Trump said at his Friday Cabinet meeting at Camp David. “They always want to talk, but they break their word so often. They’ve been very dishonest. They’ve been very dishonorable to deal with.”

But by Saturday, Trump was ready to give it another try, claiming once again that Iran was begging to make a deal. “Obviously, they don’t wanna be attacked.”

“We were also asked by Iran very strongly, actually. Uh, 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.’”

“What we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins [Monday] afternoon,” he said. “So we’re just gonna see whether or not we can make a deal for the denuclearization.” 

“I’d love to do that. Save a lot of lives. Save a lot of, uh, a lot of unnecessary power, to be honest with you,” Trump said, while threatening to turn the “massive attack” back on if Iran doesn’t capitulate. “We’ll just see. We can do it anytime we want.”

“I think we just want to win. You know, we just want to win,” Trump said Friday. “We’re doing very well. We’re trying to be as nice as you can be in a situation like that.”

So far, Iran’s response has only been a terse statement from a Foreign Ministry spokesman, “We are not currently holding any talks with the American side.”

SKEPTICISM ABOUNDS: In a Friday column, published just before Trump’s latest walkback of a military threat, Marc Thiessen, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a Fox News contributor, made this observation, “Like Lucy and the football, Trump keeps getting told that this time the Iranians are finally ready to make a deal — only to be set up for failure yet again.”

On Fox News Sunday, retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, a former military spokesman, said Iran is using Trump’s patience against him. “They hear about ‘We don’t like forever wars, we want to get out of this quickly, we want to get this done quickly.’ But that’s not how you defeat the Iranians,” Kimmitt said. “If you say we want to get this done quickly, they’ll just strap in their seatbelts and say we win by not losing. ‘We can take the bombing, you’ll leave, and we’ll have what we want.’”

“I think what we’re seeing here is a president who has an approach to this that’s just rather erratic. He says one thing, he does another thing,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), an inveterate Trump critic, said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “So, they’re flailing. They’re stuck. They’re responsible for this. And the president is the one that has to try to figure out a way out of this.”

“I would suggest to him, though, that the solution is not to do the same thing that he’s been doing, not to have his real estate buddy and his son-in-law in charge of a negotiation, to put some people in here that know how to do this, how to talk to the Iranians, and put a coalition together, bring our allies back together,” Kelly said. 

‘ALL THE FIGHT WE CANNOT SEE’ — TRUMP ADMINISTRATION VIEWS REPORTING ON REALITY OF IRAN WAR AS TREASON 

Good Friday morning, and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre) and edited by Keely Bastow. Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com. 

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UKRAINE’S NIGHTMARE: NO DEFENSE AGAINST RUSSIAN MISSILES: This weekend saw Russia exploit Ukraine’s lack of Patriot air defense missiles to launch wave after wave of ballistic missiles against the capital Kyiv. 

In the past week, Russia fired “1,900 drones, nearly 1,600 aerial bombs, and 144 missiles of various types, including ballistic missiles,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X. Of the 35 missiles fired at five different regions on Saturday, “Only one ballistic missile was intercepted, simply because there are no interceptors for the Patriot systems,” Zelensky said in a separate post.

“Homes were hit. The missiles primarily targeted Kyiv, infrastructure in Kyiv and across the Kyiv region,” Zelensky said in a video address Saturday.  

“This Russian terror demands a response — a real response from the world,” Zelensky said. “The world has Patriot missiles. … The United States knows what we need. Europe knows what we need. Anti-ballistic missiles must protect people — not sit in stockpiles,” Zelensky pleaded. “Every day without this relevant vital assistance gives Russia another chance to kill our people.

TRUMP WAFFLES ON PATRIOTS: With great fanfare, Trump announced at last month’s NATO summit in Turkey that at long last the U.S. would grant Ukraine’s request for a licensing agreement that would allow Ukraine to make its own Patriot interceptor missiles.

“We’ll give them the right to make Patriots. We’ll show them how to do it,” Trump said during a meeting with Zelensky in Ankara. “I think they can produce them pretty quickly.”

But at Friday’s Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Trump seemed to be having some second thoughts, as he was talking about both Tomahawk cruise missiles — an offensive weapon — and Patriot interceptors — a defensive weapon. 

“In the case of President Zelensky, he’d like to have some Patriots. He’d like to have some Tomahawks, which are, you know, lethal,” Trump said. “Nobody else has that capacity. These weapons are incredible. We have to be very careful about letting somebody build them.”

“You have to be very judicious, but you have to be very careful. Now, we have not agreed to that,” Trump said. “We’re talking about it. But it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology, and I don’t think this would ever happen.”

In Trump’s rambling answer, it wasn’t clear which missile he was talking about. His observation: “You give that technology, they can someday turn on you,” would seem to indicate he was referring to Tomahawks. The only way Patriot missiles could be turned against the U.S would be in a war against Ukraine.

RUSSIAN CASUALTY COUNT MOUNTS: According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian losses on the battlefield in July totaled 42,860 soldiers killed and wounded. The figure includes 1,390 casualties Russian forces sustained in a single day.

Ukraine claims Russia has lost 1,450,510 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of the war in February 2022. Ukraine does not disclose its own casualty numbers, citing “operational secrecy.”

VETERANS GROUPS VOICE CONCERN OVER PENTAGON CASUALTY DISTINCTIONS: ‘EASIER TO BLUR THE DISTINCTION’

THE RUNDOWN: 

Washington Examiner: Trump says he called off Iran strikes to ‘make a deal’ with Tehran

Washington Examiner: US general tells Pentagon he cannot defend Israel from Iranian missile attack: Report

Washington Examiner: Veterans groups voice concern over Pentagon casualty distinctions: ‘Easier to blur the distinction’

Washington Examiner: ‘All the fight we cannot see’ — Trump administration views reporting on reality of Iran war as treason 

Washington Examiner: Cornyn reaches deal with DOJ ahead of Todd Blanche nomination vote

Washington Examiner: What the father of America’s youngest hostage killed in Oct. 7 wants for Israel for his son’s legacy

Washington Examiner: Board of Peace ‘still not celebrating’ Hamas deal: ‘There is no trust. There is only fear and loathing’

Washington Examiner: ICE overhauls dress code for deportation officers, bans jeans and T-shirts, leaked memo says

Washington Examiner: Illegal immigrant population surged to all-time high of 15.8 million under Biden, study says

Washington Examiner: Truth Social instant access launches at $100,000 per month

Washington Examiner: Trump appeals IRS lawsuit ruling blocking ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

Washington Examiner: How Boko Haram adopted artificial intelligence

Washington Examiner: Opinion: Russia is a devoted enemy that attacks us relentlessly

Washington Examiner: Opinion: Why Trump is no longer targeting Iranian regime change

Washington Examiner: Opinion: A multipolar world would be disastrous for international security

New York Times: As Ceasefire Teetered, Iran Plotted a Wider War With Aid of Its Proxies

Politico: Pentagon Ends Leadership of Ukraine Aid Group as US Distances From Europe

Washington Post: US General Warns Pentagon He Lacks Sufficient Forces to Protect Israel

Stars and Stripes: US Air Force Presence in Bulgaria Draws Warnings From Iran

Washington Post: Zelensky says Ukraine has ‘no interceptors’ as ballistic missiles hit Kyiv

CBS News: Pentagon Weighs Eliminating Civilian Tenure at Military Academies and Reviewing All Curriculum, Draft Memo Says

Air & Space Forces Magazine: GAO Warns B-52 Modernization Is Falling Behind

The War Zone: U.S. Navy is Seeking a Submarine-Launched Anti-Air Missile

DefenseScoop: Pentagon’s Counter-Drone Task Force Inks $500M Contract for Skyvalor ‘Detect and Defeat’ System After Border Testing

Aviation Week: BAE Boss Sees Window Closing for New GCAP Partners

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Fly, Fix, Defend: Wilsbach Aims for a Readier Air Force 

Space News: What War in Space Looks Like

Los Angeles Times: Pilot Ejects Before F-35 Jet Crash at US Marine Corps’ Miramar Air Base in San Diego

Task & Purpose: VA to Test Whether GLP-1s Can Treat Alcohol Use Disorder

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Summer at USAFA: New Courses Teach Combat Skills for Cadets

Air & Space Forces Magazine: Air Force Cracks Down on Non-Compliant Computers and Software

THE CALENDAR: 

MONDAY | AUGUST 3 

7:30 p.m. —  Massachusetts Peace Action Fund; the National Iranian American Council; and the Community Alliance for Peace and Justice virtual briefing; “Ending the War on Iran,” with Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, historian, sociologist and professor at the University of Toronto Institute of Iranian Studies; and Jamal Abdi, NIAC President and executive director of NIAC Action https://masspeaceaction.org/event/ending-the-war-on-iran

TUESDAY | AUGUST 4 

9 a.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies virtual discussion: “Navigating the Strait of Hormuz Energy Crisis: Trends and Variety Across Global Policy Responses,” with Jerome Bilodeau, head of analysis for energy efficiency and inclusive transitions at the International Energy Agency https://www.csis.org/events/navigating-strait-hormuz-energy-crisis

9 a.m. 300 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, Va. — Federal Business Council Irregular Warfare Center Annual Symposium: “Threat Vectors & Critical Infrastructure,” with Derrick Anderson, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict https://www.fbcinc.com/e/IWC/default.aspx

10 a.m. 1400 L Street NW — Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center discussion: “What is Driving Ukraine’s Momentum in the War?” with George Barros, director of innovation and open source tradecraft at the Institute for the Study of War; retired Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and Atlantic Council board member; former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center; and Debra Cagan, senior adviser at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/event/what-is-driving-ukraines-momentum-in-the-war/

4 p.m. — Hudson Institute virtual discussion: “Taiwan’s Ever-Changing Security Environment,” with Liang-chic Evans Chen, associate research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s Division of Defense Strategy and Resources; Michael Hunzeker, director of the Taiwan Security Monitor; Can Kasapoglu, Hudson nonresident senior fellow; and Riley Walters, Hudson senior fellow https://www.hudson.org/events/taiwans-ever-changing-security-environment

WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 5 

9 a.m. 25 Massachusetts Ave. NW — Google Defense Roadshow: “The AI mission advantage, with Cameron Stanley, chief digital and AI officer at the Defense Department https://cloud.google.com/events/googledefenseroadshow26

9 a.m. 300 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, Va. — Federal Business Council Irregular Warfare Center Annual Symposium: “Adversaries in the Homeland,” with National Guard Bureau Vice Chief Gen. Thomas Carden https://www.fbcinc.com/e/IWC/default.aspx

10 a.m. —  Carnegie Endowment for International Peace virtual discussion: “The Russia-Ukraine War: Not Forever, But No End in Sight,” with Andrew Weiss, CEIP vice president for studies; Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the CEIP American Statecraft Program; and Dara Massicot, senior fellow at the CEIP Russia and Eurasia Program https://carnegieendowment.org/events/2026/07/the-russia-ukraine-war-not

THURSDAY | AUGUST 6

9 a.m. 300 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, Va. — Federal Business Council Irregular Warfare Center Annual Symposium: “A Whole-of-Society Response,” with Joseph Humire, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Americas security affairs https://www.fbcinc.com/e/IWC/default.aspx