Trump pauses Iran strike amid diplomatic push by Gulf nations

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said that he postponed a planned military strike on Iran after urgent appeals from Gulf leaders seeking more time for diplomacy, signalling a possible opening in high-stakes negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

At a White House healthcare event, Trump said the United States had been prepared to launch a “very major attack” on Iran as early as Tuesday, but he agreed to delay military action following requests from leaders in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

“Well, other countries have come to me and they said we were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow,” Trump told reporters. “I've put it off for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever.”

Trump said Gulf leaders believed negotiations with Tehran were “getting very close to making a deal”. He added that the United States had already informed Israel and regional allies about the delay.

“I was asked by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and some others if we could put it off for 2 or 3 days, a short period of time, because they think that they are getting very close to making a deal,” he said. “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.”