Trump says he called off planned Iran strike after Arab leaders’ appeal
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he called off a planned military attack on Iran scheduled for Tuesday after the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates urged him to hold off as “serious negotiations” were underway.
Trump said Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed had asked him to delay the attack because they believed a deal could be reached that would be “very acceptable” to the United States, the Middle East and beyond.
“This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” Trump said.
Trump said that, out of respect for the three Persian Gulf leaders, he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Daniel Caine and the US military not to carry out the scheduled attack.
But he warned that the order could be reversed quickly if talks fail.
“I have 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,” Trump said.