U.S. President Donald Trump said he ordered a halt to a strike on Iran that had been set for the 19th local time.
On the 18th, Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social that he had instructed Pete Hegseth, U.S. Minister of the Ministry of National Defense (War Department), Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the U.S. military, "Do not carry out the strike against Iran scheduled for tomorrow (the 19th)."
He said he was asked by Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the ruler of Qatar, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to hold off on a military strike against Iran.
Trump said, "They say serious negotiations are underway, that in their view a deal will be reached, and that this deal will be very acceptable to the United States, the Middle East, and all other countries beyond the Middle East."
He added, "Above all, this deal would include a ban on Iran possessing nuclear weapons." He also said he "additionally instructed" Hegseth, the defense minister, Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and the U.S. military to be ready to carry out an "immediate, full-scale, and massive" strike on Iran if an acceptable deal is not reached.
The United States and Iran have maintained a cease-fire, but talks are still faltering. Iran's Tasnim News reported the country delivered a new 14-clause armistice proposal to the United States through mediator Pakistan. However, in an interview with the New York Post, Trump expressed disappointment with Iran's latest proposal and said he would "not accept" any concessions to Iran.