US President Donald Trump said he was postponing a planned attack on Iran scheduled for Tuesday at the request of Gulf leaders amid “serious negotiations” with Tehran.
Trump’s sudden announcement on social media on Monday came after Iran said it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war.
Trump said he would “hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow,” in a message on his Truth Social network.
The US president said he had been asked to do so by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as “serious negotiations are now taking place.”
The Gulf allies believe “a Deal will be made” that includes “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” added Trump.
Trump said he had informed the US military “that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow.”
But he added that he had “further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”
Late Sunday he said the “clock is ticking” and threatened that “there won’t be anything left” of Iran if no peace deal is reached.
The United States and Israel have been locked in a war with Iran since US and Israeli forces launched strikes in late February.
The US and Iranian sides have held only a single round of talks in Pakistan despite a fragile ceasefire in April. (AFP)
