United States President Donald Trump has postponed a planned military strike on Iran that was reportedly scheduled for Tuesday, saying fresh diplomatic efforts led by Gulf nations may open a path to a deal.
In a statement posted on Truth Social on Monday, Trump said leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates appealed for more time, expressing confidence that negotiations with Iran were entering a more serious phase.
According to Trump, he agreed to pause the planned action out of respect for the regional leaders and their belief that diplomacy could still succeed.
“We were getting ready to carry out a very major attack tomorrow,” Trump later told reporters at the White House. “I put it off for a little while — hopefully forever — but maybe just for a short time.”
Despite the pause, Trump stressed that the US military had been ordered to remain on standby.
He said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Daniel Caine and military commanders had been directed to be ready for a “full, large-scale assault” if negotiations fail to produce what he called an acceptable agreement.
At the centre of the talks is Washington’s long-standing demand that Iran abandon any path toward developing nuclear weapons. Trump said any future deal must guarantee that Tehran would not possess nuclear arms.
“This deal will include, importantly, no nuclear weapons for Iran,” he wrote.
Trump’s latest remarks suggest growing caution after weeks of increasingly tense rhetoric over Iran. Sources familiar with the matter said the president had been presented with military options and was considering strikes after expressing frustration with the slow pace of negotiations.
However, the latest diplomatic push appears to have shifted the timeline.
Trump said Gulf leaders and other unnamed countries urged him to delay military action for a few days because they believed negotiations were nearing a breakthrough.
“If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I’d be very happy,” he said.
Still, signs of progress remain uncertain.
Sources familiar with the talks said Iran’s latest proposal failed to offer major concessions on key sticking points, particularly disagreements over uranium enrichment and Tehran’s stockpile of near-weapons-grade material.
Iran confirmed on Monday that it had communicated responses to US concerns through Pakistani mediators, though American officials reportedly did not see the proposal as enough to significantly alter Washington’s position.
The conflict, now stretching into its third month, has also begun to weigh on domestic politics in the United States, contributing to rising fuel prices and growing public concern over the economic impact.
Trump is expected to meet again with senior members of his national security team this week as the White House weighs its next move.
For now, military action has been delayed — but not ruled out.
