IN BRIEF
- Trump said the US was planning to attack Iran “tomorrow”.
- US authorities had refused to release “even 25 percent” of Iran’s frozen assets, Iranian media reported.
In a statement made on Tuesday AEST, US President Donald Trump revealed he had postponed plans for military action against Iran, as Tehran remains unyielding to his demands aimed at ending the conflict.
According to Trump, the decision to delay was influenced by Gulf Arab allies, who have been threatened by Iran with retaliatory strikes should the United States and Israel reignite their offensive, disrupting a ceasefire that has lasted nearly six weeks.
Despite having extended the truce indefinitely and expressing his desire to withdraw from a politically burdensome war, Trump announced that a new military operation was poised to commence on Tuesday.
Through his Truth Social platform, Trump disclosed that leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates persuaded him to delay the scheduled military action against Iran, citing ongoing serious negotiations.
These Gulf leaders assured Trump of their confidence in finalizing a deal that would be “very acceptable” to both the United States and Middle Eastern countries, ensuring “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!”
Trump threatens ‘large-scale assault’ on Iran if deal not reached
However, Trump emphasized that he had instructed the US military to remain ready to launch a comprehensive assault on Iran at a moment’s notice, should a satisfactory agreement fail to materialize.
Iran has repeatedly rebuffed Trump’s offers on a deal and has exerted control over the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway into the Gulf, sending global oil prices spiralling.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed exchanges with the United States through mediator Pakistan and said Iran made clear its “concerns.”
The country, whose supreme leader was killed in the initial US-Israeli strikes on 28 February but has proven resilient, is demanding the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of long-standing sanctions.
Baqaei said Iran was also demanding reparations for the “illegal and baseless” war and was “fully prepared for any eventuality” if the United States resumes military action.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, considered a moderate in a system increasingly dominated since the war by the Revolutionary Guards, said that speaking with Washington in search of a deal was not to be viewed negatively.
“Dialogue does not mean surrender. The Islamic Republic of Iran enters into dialogue with dignity, authority, and the preservation of the nation’s rights, and will under no circumstances retreat from the legal rights of the people and the country,” he wrote on X.
On Sunday, Iran’s Fars news agency said the US had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.
US authorities had refused to release “even 25 percent” of Iran’s frozen assets or pay any reparations for war damage, Fars said.
But Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed source close to the Iranian negotiating team, said on Monday that the United States made one new step forward in the latest text by agreeing to waive oil sanctions during a negotiation period.
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