Washington, May 19 (IANS) 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.”
The President stressed that Washington remained prepared for military action if diplomacy failed.
“We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them I’d be very happy.”
Trump also claimed recent military operations had severely weakened Iran’s armed forces and leadership structure.
“We’ve totally destroyed their military,” he said. “Their leaders are gone at the first level.”
According to Axios, Trump ordered Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and military commanders to remain ready for a “full-scale assault” if talks collapse.
The latest developments follow months of escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear programme and regional military activity. Gulf nations, many hosting American military facilities, have increasingly voiced concern that a wider conflict could destabilise the region and threaten global energy supplies.
–IANS
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