Donald Trump Delays Iran Strike, Says Very Good Chance of Nuclear Deal

Hours after postponing a planned military attack on Iran, Donald Trump told reporters there was a "very good chance" the United States could reach an agreement with Iran to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Trump said, "If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy," and he added that the pause reflected that this time is "a little bit different."

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He also said leaders of Gulf states requested he hold off on striking Iran, naming Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Trump said he had instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine, and the United States Military that the scheduled attack would not proceed.

He warned that he had further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran "in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached."

Multiple outlets tied the postponement to requests from Gulf leaders, with TRT World saying Trump was asked to delay a planned military attack on Iran scheduled for Tuesday to allow negotiations to continue.

TRT World quoted Trump saying, "serious negotiations are now taking place" and that the US remained prepared to launch a large-scale assault if no agreement is reached.

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The Jerusalem Post reported Trump posted on Truth Social that he had instructed US officials to stand down and that "Serious negotiations are now taking place" as a deal was expected to be "very acceptable" to the United States and "all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond."

In the same reporting, Trump said any deal would include "NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!" while also telling the New York Post he is “not open” to making concessions after Iran’s response to peace deal negotiations.

Euronews described the pause as a "two- to three-day" window to give negotiations a chance under Gulf mediation, while Trump said he had ordered officials not to carry out the planned attack and to be ready for a "full-scale and wide" assault if no agreement is reached.

As negotiations continue, Reuters-linked reporting in The Jerusalem Post said Trump told reporters there was a "very good chance" of working something out, but he also reiterated that he is "not open" to concessions after Iran’s disappointing response to peace deal negotiations.

Euronews said the White House deemed Iran’s updated peace offer "insufficient," and it described Trump’s repeated extensions and postponements since the start of the war with Iran.

The Jerusalem Post also reported Trump said he had paused a scheduled attack while "Serious negotiations are now taking place," and it said he had instructed officials to be prepared for a full, large-scale assault if an acceptable deal is not reached.

In parallel, the investingLive report said Trump attached a concrete condition that Iran must put its nuclear commitments in writing before any agreement can be finalised, and it described the pause as a narrow window opened by Gulf allies.

Euronews framed the stakes as deterrence and timing, quoting Trump’s view that the pause was meant to see whether it would prove effective, while also noting that the US remained ready to resume attacks if no agreement is reached.