Trump Holds Off Iran Strike After Gulf Allies Ask Him to Wait Two to Three Days

President Donald Trump said he was holding off on a military strike on Iran planned for Tuesday because "serious negotiations" are underway to end the war.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday evening that he had planned "a very major attack" but put it off "for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever," and said Gulf allies asked him to wait for two to three days because they feel they are close to a deal with Iran.

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The pause came after Trump warned over the weekend, "For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," and after the U.S. had instructed the military "to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment's notice" if an acceptable deal was not reached.

The NPR account also tied the negotiations to the Strait of Hormuz, saying the U.S. is blockading Iranian ports and has redirected 85 commercial vessels from mid-April through Monday, while oil prices fell from $108.83 a barrel to end Monday at $107.25 a barrel.

Iran’s state TV described Trump’s move as a "retreat" based on "fear" and said defense systems were activated late Monday on Qeshm Island, adding the situation was "under control" there.

The Guardian reported that Trump threatened "a big hit" if Tehran does not make a deal soon, saying he was "an hour away from making the decision to go today" before calling off a fresh wave of strikes.

Trump told reporters that Iran’s leaders were "begging" to make a deal, and he said a new U.S. attack would deliver "a big hit" in the coming days if one was not reached.

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In Tehran, Iran’s military spokesperson Mohammed Akraminia reiterated on Tuesday that Tehran would continue to manage the strait and said the U.S. needed to "respect the Iranian nation and observe the legitimate rights of the Islamic republic," according to the Guardian.

The Guardian also said Akraminia warned that in the event of new attacks Iran would "open new fronts" against the US and that Tehran had used the ceasefire "to strengthen its combat capabilities."

CBS News added that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened to push the conflict "beyond the region" if the U.S. or Israel resume attacks, promising "crushing blows … in places you cannot even imagine."

NPR said the pause is occurring while Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, described as a vital waterway for the shipment of oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products, and while the U.S. has enforced a blockade of Iranian ports.

CBS News reported that the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization warned that the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz could "trigger a severe global food price crisis" in the coming months, linking the risk to the strait’s role in global oil and fertilizer flows.

CBS also described U.S. Marines boarding and searching an Iranian-flagged tanker, with U.S. Central Command saying on X that the tanker was suspected of trying to violate the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, and naming the vessel as M/T Celestial Sea.

In parallel, the Guardian said since the ceasefire began on 8 April, Tehran and Washington have held only a single round of talks, an unsuccessful 21-hour session in Islamabad, and it quoted Neil Quilliam of London’s Chatham House saying, "Trumps’ threats have lost all credibility …"

Al Jazeera reported that Trump said he called off the planned attack at the request of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and it added that Trump said Xi assured him Beijing would not send weapons to Iran, calling it "That’s a beautiful promise. I take him at his word."