Donald Trump Postpones Iran Strike For Limited Period After Arab States Request

President Donald Trump said he was “an hour away” from deciding whether to attack Iran before he postponed the strike for “a limited period of time,” while Vice President J.D. Vance said Iran’s negotiating position is unclear.

“United States President Donald Trump said he postponed a planned attack on Iran after requests from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, adding that “serious negotiations are now taking place” behind the scenes”

Al Jazeera

Trump told reporters on Tuesday, “I hope that we don't have to do the war. But we may have to give them another big hit,” and he said he was “not sure yet” when the next decision would come.

Al Jazeera

CNN reported that the postponement followed a request of three Arab states in the Persian Gulf, and CNBC said Trump was convinced to postpone for a few days after those leaders asked him to “hold off” in light of ongoing discussions with Iran.

The U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, and CNBC said the ceasefire remains nominally in place even as Trump weighed another military strike if a deal can’t be reached.

Al Jazeera reported that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Tehran’s participation in talks while rejecting suggestions that Iran was backing down under pressure, saying, “Dialogue does not mean surrender.”

Al Jazeera also quoted Mohsen Rezaei, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council, mocking Trump for setting and then cancelling a deadline for a military attack, saying Tehran would not surrender under pressure with the “iron fist” forcing the U.S. “to retreat and surrender.”

CNBC

In Washington, CNN said Vice President J.D. Vance declined to rule out compensating those who attacked police officers on January 6, 2021, while CNBC described how Trump said he was “an hour away” from ordering an attack before being convinced to postpone it.

CNBC added that Trump said he “had made the decision” and that Gulf leaders asked for “a couple of more days,” and it described the war as stuck in an uneasy stalemate as both sides grapple for control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Al Jazeera said the IRGC warned the U.S. and its allies against making another “strategic mistake or miscalculation,” and it reported Major-General Ali Abdollahi saying any renewed aggression would face a response “far more powerful” than previous confrontations.

“• Iran war: President Donald Trump said he was “an hour away” from making the decision to launch new strikes on Iran before he postponed an attack yesterday at the request of three Arab states in the Persian Gulf”

CNN

Al Jazeera also reported that the IRGC said fibre-optic cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz could be brought under a system of permits as Tehran tightens control over the waterway, citing Tehran’s “absolute sovereignty over the bed and subsoil of its territorial sea.”

In the U.S., USA Today said the latest proposal from Iran includes a withdrawal of troops from areas near Iran, an end to the war on all fronts including Lebanon, compensation for damage during the conflict, a lifting of sanctions, and an end to the ongoing U.S. maritime blockade.

CNN reported that Trump postponed an attack “at the request of three Arab states in the Persian Gulf,” while CNBC said Trump instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Daniel Caine “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice” if an acceptable deal is not reached.