US President Donald Trump reportedly canceled a planned strike on Iran scheduled for Tuesday after receiving requests from three major Middle Eastern leaders to temporarily postpone the military action.
In a statement on the Truth Social platform, Trump announced that he had ordered the US military to stop the planned attack after receiving requests from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Before that, there was no official indication that Washington was actually ready to launch an attack on Iran. However, Trump hinted that the situation could change quickly when he said that Iran knew what was coming in the near future.
US media reports also said that Washington was considering resuming active military operations after Tehran's latest response in peace talks was still not seen to meet the US's wishes.
While attending an event at the White House on Monday, Trump said that the US was originally preparing to carry out a large-scale attack on Iran.
However, he decided to temporarily postpone the operation to allow for ongoing diplomatic negotiations.
According to Trump, several Middle Eastern countries believe that the opportunity to reach an agreement is getting closer, thus opening the way for a resolution of the conflict without large-scale war.
He also stressed that any agreement must ensure that Iran does not have nuclear weapons.
Although the attack was postponed, Trump ordered US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, to remain ready to launch large-scale military action if the negotiations fail to reach an agreement acceptable to Washington.
In the same development, tensions between the US and Iran continue to be concentrated in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for world oil trade that is currently facing disruptions due to the prolonged conflict in the region.
The situation increases the risk to global energy supplies and destabilizes the ceasefire that has been seen to be increasingly fragile in recent weeks.
