Trump says he's called off Iran strike at request of Gulf allies

"“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I'd be very happy,” Trump said at the White House on Monday evening, after first making the announcement in a social media post. Trump said he had planned “a very major attack” but put it off “for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever.”"

"Trump said America's allies in the Gulf asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal with Iran. Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran did not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement. Over the weekend he warned, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them.”"

"The president has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off. But he's also previously indicated he would hold off on military action to allow talks to continue only to turn around and launch strikes. That's what happened at the war's outset, when he ordered strikes in late February shortly after indicating he would let talks play out. Trump said the current pause for negotiations was a “very positive development,” while acknowledging there were times in the past when a deal seemed close but nothing came of it."

"“But this is a little bit different,” he said. Trump credits Gulf allies The president, who had not previously disclosed that he was planning a strike for Tuesday, did not offer details about the planned attack but said in his social media post he had instructed the U.S. military “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 no"

Trump said he is postponing a planned Tuesday military strike on Iran because serious negotiations are underway to end the war. He stated there is a good chance a deal can be reached without bombing. He said Gulf allies asked him to wait two to three days because they believe they are close to an agreement with Iran. Trump previously threatened that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran did not make a deal, and he set deadlines before backing off. He described the current pause as a positive development while acknowledging past moments when a deal seemed close but did not materialize.

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