US President Donald Trump elaborated on Monday on his decision to put off an attack on Iran while efforts to negotiate a deal continue.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, “We were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I've put it off for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever, but possibly for a little while, because we've had very big discussions with Iran, and we'll see what they amount to."
Trump added, “I was asked by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and some others if we could put it off for two or three days, a short period of time, because they think that they are getting very close to making a deal. And if we can do that, where there's no nuclear weapon going into the hands of Iran, I think, and if they're satisfied, we will be probably satisfied also."
He stressed that the US informed Israel of the decision to hold off on the attack as well as “other people in the Middle East that have been involved with us."
“It's a very positive development, but we'll see whether or not it amounts to anything. We've had periods of time where we thought [we were] pretty much getting close to making a deal, and it didn't work out, but this is a little bit different," said Trump, who added that the strike he halted would have been “very big and not something I wanted to do, but we have no choice because we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
He also said that “there seems to be a very good chance they could work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I'd be very happy."
The comments came hours after Trump revealed in a post on Truth Social that the US was planning on striking Iran on Tuesday, but postponed the attack because of what he referred to as "serious negotiations" were being held.
The President wrote that he was asked by leaders in the region, namely the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to "hold off on our planned military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, 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."
According to Trump, "This Deal will include, importantly, no nuclear weapons for Iran!"
Trump stated in an interview with the New York Post on Monday that Iran knows “what’s going to be happening soon" as the fragile ceasefire between the US and the Islamic Republic continues to fray.
Trump further stated that he is “not open" to further concessions to Iran.
The statements come after Iran submitted a new proposal for a deal via Pakistani mediators, which contained only limited changes from previous versions.
The proposal reportedly includes broader language regarding Iran’s commitment not to pursue nuclear weapons, but does not include detailed commitments concerning uranium enrichment or Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Pakistani sources said the updated Iranian proposal included a commitment not to produce nuclear weapons, but did not address the issue of enriched uranium or developments surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Washington had shown flexibility in discussions with Tehran, including regarding restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program. According to the official, the United States has agreed at this stage to unfreeze 25 percent of Iran’s frozen funds under a defined timetable.
The Iranian official said Tehran is demanding the release of all frozen assets, as well as a permanent end to the war, the lifting of sanctions, and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, a report by Axios cited a US official who said that the new proposal does not represent a meaningful improvement and remains insufficient to secure an agreement.
The report also said the US rejected claims in Iranian state media that Washington had agreed to sanctions relief during the talks. According to the official cited by Axios, the US position remains that sanctions relief would require reciprocal steps by Tehran.
“We are really not making a lot of progress. We are at a very serious place today," the senior US official said, according to the report.