U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he is postponing a planned military attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran, originally scheduled for Tuesday, after leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates urged him to allow more time for negotiations.
Trump stated that Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had asked him to “hold off” on the attack because “serious negotiations are now taking place.”
“In their opinion, as great leaders and allies, a deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all countries in the Middle East, and beyond,” Trump wrote. “This deal will include, importantly, no nuclear weapons for Iran.”
“Based on my respect for the above-mentioned leaders, I have instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and the United States military that we will not be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow,” the president wrote.
Trump added that the military had been ordered to remain prepared to launch “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.”
