In brief
- Trump says Iran’s leaders are begging for a deal, but says a new US attack will happen in coming days if no agreement is reached.
- Tehran says Trump paused the attack because he realised that any move against Iran would mean “facing a decisive military response”.
President Donald Trump has indicated that the United States might need to launch another strike against Iran, revealing that he once came within an hour of authorizing an attack before deciding to delay it.
Trump’s remarks came shortly after he mentioned a temporary halt to planned military actions, prompted by a new proposal from Tehran aimed at ending ongoing hostilities between the US and Israel. This decision to pause, he noted, was influenced by input from Gulf countries.
“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump shared with reporters during a briefing at the White House on Tuesday, underscoring the immediacy of the situation.
According to Trump, Iran’s leadership is eager to negotiate a deal, but he warned that if no agreement is reached, the US may be forced to act in the coming days.
The struggle to conclude the war, initiated alongside Israel almost three months ago, has been an ongoing challenge for the US. Trump has previously suggested that an accord with Tehran was within reach, while also cautioning that failure to secure one could lead to significant military actions against Iran.
Domestically, Trump is facing mounting political pressure to finalize an agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This crucial waterway is vital for the global shipment of oil and various other commodities. Persistently high gas prices and a drop in Trump’s approval ratings are adding to the urgency, especially as the November congressional elections approach.
Oil prices settled lower on Tuesday after Vice President JD Vance said Washington and Tehran had made a lot of progress in talks and neither side wanted to see a resumption of the military campaign. “We’re in a pretty good spot here,” he said.
Speaking to reporters at a White House briefing, Vance acknowledged difficulties in negotiating with a fractured Iranian leadership. “It’s not sometimes totally clear what the negotiating position of the team is,” he said, so the US is trying to make its own red lines clear.
He also said one objective of Trump’s policy is to prevent a nuclear arms race from spreading in the region.
Iran promises response to any new attack
In Tehran, Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, said on X that pausing an attack was due to Trump’s realisation that any move against Iran would mean “facing a decisive military response”.
Iranian state media said Tehran’s latest peace proposal involves ending hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon, the exit of US forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for destruction caused by the US-Israeli attacks.
Tehran also sought the lifting of sanctions, release of frozen funds and an end to the US marine blockade, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi as cited by IRNA news agency.
The terms as described in the Iranian reports appeared little changed from Iran’s previous offer, which Trump rejected last week as “garbage”.
Both sides ‘changing goalposts’
Reuters could not determine whether military preparations had been made for strikes that would mark a renewal of the war Trump started in late February.
Trump said on Monday that Washington would be satisfied if it could reach an agreement that prevented Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has conveyed messages between the sides since hosting the only round of peace talks last month, had shared the Iranian proposal with Washington.
The sides “keep changing their goalposts,” the Pakistani source said, adding, “We don’t have much time.”
Ceasefire mostly holding
The US-Israeli bombing killed thousands of people in Iran before it was suspended in a ceasefire in early April. Israel has killed thousands more and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes in Lebanon, which it invaded in pursuit of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
Iranian strikes on Israel and neighbouring Gulf states have killed dozens of people.
The Iran ceasefire has mostly held, although drones have lately been launched from Iraq towards Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, apparently by Iran and its allies.
The US seized an Iran-linked oil tanker in the Indian Ocean overnight, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing three US officials. The tanker, known as the Skywave, was sanctioned by the US in March for its role in transporting Iranian oil, the report said.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they launched the war to curb Iran’s support for regional militias, dismantle its nuclear program, destroy its missile capabilities, and create conditions for Iranians to topple their rulers.
But the war has yet to deprive Iran of its stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium or its ability to threaten neighbours with missiles, drones and proxy militias.
The Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership, which had faced a mass uprising at the start of the year, withstood the superpower onslaught with no sign of organised opposition.
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