U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he postponed a planned military strike on Iran scheduled for Tuesday, stating he was only an hour away from making the decision to proceed. The president said the attack was called off because serious negotiations are underway and leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar requested a pause to pursue diplomacy. Pakistan has also continued mediation efforts to end the war.
Despite the postponement, Trump warned that the clock is ticking for Iran to reach an agreement. He indicated that new strikes could occur in the coming days, possibly by the weekend or early next week, to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Trump has instructed the U.S. military to be prepared to launch a full, large-scale assault on a moment's notice if an acceptable deal is not reached.
Negotiations remain deadlocked as Iran projects defiance. Tehran is seeking the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen assets, and the ability to maintain control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian sources also indicate a desire for Washington to pressure Israel into stopping its war on Lebanon as part of a deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
The ongoing conflict has fueled instability across the Middle East and caused an energy supply shock due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. While a fragile ceasefire has been in place since early last month, tensions continue to rise amid new drone attacks against U.S. allies in the Gulf and continued Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.