Kathmandu, May 19: US President Donald Trump has said he postponed a planned Tuesday military strike on Iran, stating that efforts to end the conflict through negotiations are becoming more serious.
He said the decision came after requests from leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as diplomatic talks continue to intensify.
Trump added that he had instructed US military leadership to remain ready for a large-scale and immediate strike on Iran if no agreement is reached.
He claimed regional leaders remain hopeful that a deal acceptable to the United States and its allies in the Middle East could still be achieved. “The most important part of this deal is ensuring Iran has no nuclear weapons,” he said.
Speaking at the White House, Trump said the current situation differs slightly from past near-deals with Iran. He called the developments “very positive,” while stressing that it remains uncertain whether they will materialize.
Frustrated by slow progress in negotiations, Trump had reportedly reviewed military options prepared by senior defense advisers for a planned strike on Iranian targets. However, he did not disclose specific targets or the scale of potential operations.
“We were ready to carry out a very big attack tomorrow. I’ve postponed it for now. Hopefully forever, but possibly just for a while,” he said.
Trump said broader talks with Iran are ongoing and that their outcome remains unclear.
Reiterating his “red line” that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons, he suggested the United States could accept any peace proposal that satisfies Gulf countries.
In an interview with CNN, he added: “If we can solve this without devastating bombing, I would be very happy.”
Earlier, Trump had warned Iran that time was running out to reach a deal, signaling that military operations suspended last month could resume if talks fail.
Iran has also reportedly responded to negotiations through Pakistani mediation, according to officials.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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