Diyar Guldogan
18 May 2026•Update: 18 May 2026
President Donald Trump said Monday that the US has postponed a military strike against Iran planned for Tuesday after direct appeals from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"I have been asked by 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," Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social.
Trump said Gulf leaders told him that “serious negotiations are now taking place” and expressed confidence that a diplomatic agreement could still be reached.
The president said the proposed deal would include a firm prohibition on Iran obtaining nuclear weapons, describing that issue as a central condition for any agreement.
"This deal will include, importantly, no nuclear weapons for Iran!" he added.
Trump said that, out of “respect” for the Gulf leaders, he had instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Daniel Caine, and US military commanders to stand down from the planned operation for now.
However, he added that he had instructed the top defense and military officials 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."
On Sunday, Trump warned Iran, saying the "clock is ticking" for them to "get moving" before "there won’t be anything left of them."
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with strikes targeting Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Trump later extended the truce indefinitely.
