The report came after the US appeared to shift towards diplomatic means of pressure to stop the Iranian crackdown on protesters.

Four Arab states conducted intense diplomacy with the United States and Iran this week to prevent a threatened U.S. attack on Iran over Tehran's use of force against protesters that they feared would have impacts across the region,

Iran's key retaliatory leverage is the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, which could affect 20 percent of global oil and gas trade, though this would be a last resort, as it could disproportionately affect Iran's own oil trade, S-RM said in an analysis provided to Newsweek .

President Donald Trump indicated that he might hold off on attacking Iran for now after saying he was reassured by sources "on the other side" that the government in Tehran would stop killing people involved in widespread protests.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel asked the president to postpone any planned attack. Israeli and Arab officials fear Iran could retaliate by striking their countries.

U.S. opens new air defense cell at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar amid Iran tensions, enhancing regional missile defense cooperation across Middle East.

Did Trump Cancel US Strikes On Iran?<br />US President Donald Trump confirmed he called off planned strikes on Iran, saying the decision was entirely his own. He said that over 800 scheduled hangings were cancelled,

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and its strike group have moved west from the Indo-Pacific region, satellite data from Copernicus shows. It includes fighter jets, guided missile destroyers and an attack submarine.