WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said he is holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because “serious negotiations” are underway.
Trump’s announcement in a social media post Monday came as he had threatened the clock was ticking for Iran to strike a deal or fighting would renew after a fragile ceasefire.
The president did not offer details about the planned attack but said but he instructed the U.S. 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.”
Trump had not previously disclosed that he was planning a strike for May 19, but over the weekend he warned, “For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them.”
Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire struck in mid-April could end if Iran did not strike a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement.
Trump said in his social media post that he was calling off the planned strike at the request of allies in the Middle East, including the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.
Trump in recent days has also spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese President Xi Jinping about the Iran war.