Donald Trump says he called off attack on Iran planned for Tuesday
US president says the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar requested that Washington suspend operation
Donald Trump said that he suspended a military attack on Iran that was scheduled for Tuesday at the request of US allies in the Middle East, claiming that “serious negotiations were now” taking place with Tehran.
The US president posted on Truth Social that the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had asked that Washington suspend a planned operation “which was scheduled for tomorrow”.
Trump added 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”. He wrote that the deal would include “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!”
It is the latest sign that the fragile ceasefire that Iran and the US have observed since early April is coming under strain as Tehran and Washington struggle to find a mutually acceptable agreement to end the conflict.
Trump added that he had instructed the US military 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”.
Negotiations with Iran have stalled over disagreements about Tehran’s nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic chokepoint which has been largely closed to traffic.
Trump has given contradictory signals about whether he intended to resume military operations against Iran. He had warned Tehran on Sunday that they had “better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them”.
The US president was expected to meet with his senior national security advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for resuming the war, Axios reported.
Oil fell slightly on Monday afternoon in New York with Brent crude, the international benchmark, slipping by 2.4 per cent to $109.44 per barrel.
The UAE said on Sunday that a drone strike triggered a fire near its Barakah nuclear power plant, adding that the drone had entered its airspace from a “western border direction”. Iran has repeatedly struck the UAE since the ceasefire with the US came into effect.
Saudi Arabia also reported on Sunday that three drones entered its airspace from Iraq, which is home to Iranian-aligned proxies.
Riyadh conducted strikes against Iran after they were attacked during the early phases of the conflict, according to people briefed on the matter. The UAE was also reported to have launched attacks against the Islamic republic.
Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported on Monday that Iranian defences were activated on Qeshm Island, across the Strait of Hormuz, after they detected the presence of drones.