U.S. President Donald Trump said he’s 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 got here as he had threatened the clock was ticking for Iran to strike a deal or fighting would renew after a fragile ceasefire.
The president didn’t offer details in regards to 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, within the event that an appropriate Deal will not be 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 so they higher 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 didn’t strike a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement.
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Trump said in his social media post that he was calling off the planned strike on the request of allies within the Middle East, including the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran after which backed off.
Trump in recent days has also spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese President Xi Jinping in regards to the Iran war.
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