Donald Trump has announced he will hold off on a planned attack against Iran at the request of Gulf allies, who believe a deal to end the war will be reached amid ongoing serious negotiations. The US president claimed renewed military strikes had been due to take place on Tuesday.
Trump's Announcement on Truth Social
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said he had been asked by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to delay the attack. He stated that in their opinion, as great leaders and allies, a deal will be made that will be very acceptable to the United States and all countries in the Middle East and beyond. He added that the agreement would include no nuclear weapons for Iran.
However, he warned that he has instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Daniel Caine, and the US military to be prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran on a moment's notice if an acceptable deal is not reached.
Background of the Conflict
This comes amid an ongoing stand-off between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz waterway, with clashes testing the fragile Middle East ceasefire. Iran's stranglehold on the strategic sea route since the US and Israel triggered the conflict in February has affected economies worldwide, including the UK's. The effective closure of the shipping lane to oil and gas supplies has sparked a global energy crisis and sent fuel prices soaring.
Mr Trump has repeatedly given ultimatums to Tehran and then backed off. He warned Iran over the weekend that the clock is ticking on making a deal and that they had better act quickly or there won't be anything left of them.
Diplomatic Efforts
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the main focus of current talks is on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran's nuclear plans remain a key issue. This includes dealing with its stockpiles of enriched uranium, buried by previous US and Israeli strikes, which could potentially be used to make a weapon. Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
Mr Trump has previously said the existing truce was on life support and dismissed a peace proposal by Tehran as garbage.
