Trump says Gulf States believe Iran deal is close, asked US to postpone attack
US President Donald Trump said the United States had postponed a planned military strike on Iran after requests from Gulf leaders who believe negotiations could still produce an agreement.
Speaking to reporters in Washington on Monday, Trump said the US had been preparing for a major attack before deciding to delay the operation.
“We were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I’ve put it off for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever, but possibly for a little while because we’ve had very big discussions with Iran and we’ll see what they amount to,” Trump said.
He added that leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates had urged Washington to allow more time for diplomacy.
“I was asked by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and some others if we could put it off for 2 or 3 days, a short period of time, because they think that they are getting very close to making a deal,” he stated.
Earlier, Trump posted a longer statement on Truth Social confirming the discussions with Gulf leaders.
“I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place,” Trump wrote.
He added that Gulf leaders believed a deal could still be reached.
A ceasefire between the US and Iran was declared in April, with both sides reportedly exchanging proposals through Pakistani mediators. However, tensions have continued in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has restricted passage for what it describes as “unfriendly” countries, while the United States continues restrictions targeting Iranian ports.
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