Trump says he’ll ‘hold off’ on attacking Iran on Tuesday but tells military to be ready ‘on a moment’s notice’
By Kit Maher, Kevin Liptak, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump said Monday that he will “hold off” on a Tuesday plan to attack Iran, citing a request from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as he said negotiations to end the war grow more “serious.”
Trump added in his Truth Social post that he’s instructed his leadership to “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice” if a deal isn’t reached.
He pointed to what he said was regional leaders’ optimism about the prospects of a deal that would be acceptable to the US and allies in the Middle East.
“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, in that serious negotiations are now taking place, and 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, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN,” Trump added.
Trump had warned Iran on Sunday that the “clock is ticking” to make a deal, otherwise it will face a resumption of the military campaign that has been on hold since last month.
But Iran’s latest proposal to end the war did not offer significant concessions on some critical sticking points, according to a person familiar with the matter on Monday. Longstanding disagreements over nuclear enrichment remain central to the impasse, the person added.
“This enriched uranium that they possess, they can’t keep it. President Trump has been very clear about that,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a Monday interview on Fox News, calling it one of the “red lines” for the president. While she left it to Trump to decide how long the pause in hostilities would last, she said that the US force posture “remains the same.”
Earlier Monday, Iran said it had responded to some US concerns about its negotiating position via Pakistani mediators, but American officials did not view the latest offer as making large enough compromises to shift Trump’s thinking.
It wasn’t immediately clear what changes Iran made to the document in the latest back-and-forth, but Trump has repeatedly asserted certain red lines — including on halting enrichment of nuclear material and Iran handing over its stockpile of near-weapon-grade uranium.
When Trump announced an extension to the ceasefire on April 21, it was Pakistan, he said, who asked him to “hold our attack on the country of Iran.” At the time, he also cited divisions within Tehran’s government and said he wanted to wait for a “unified proposal.”
But the president has grown frustrated at the halting pace of negotiations. And at home, the war — now in its third month — has spiked gas prices and sunk his approval ratings on the economy.
After meeting with top members of his national security team over the weekend, Trump is expected to convene the team again early this week to discuss a path forward. As he made clear in his Monday Truth Social post, he’s leaving his options open.
“I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, The Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine, and The United States Military, that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them 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,” he wrote.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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