Trump Pauses Planned Iran Strike After Gulf Leaders' Appeal, Warns Military Stands Ready

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Trump Pauses Planned Iran Strike After Gulf Leaders' Appeal, Warns Military Stands Ready  WASHINGTON, May 19 — U.S. President Donald Trump announced Monday that he has called off a planned military strike on Iran that was scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, citing ongoing negotiations and urgent appeals from Gulf leaders seeking a diplomatic resolution to the conflict .  In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates had requested that Washington hold off on the attack because "serious negotiations are now taking place" . The Gulf leaders reportedly believe "a Deal will be made" that includes "NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!" .  "It looks like there's a good chance that Iran might do something to make a deal with the United States," Trump was quoted as saying. "If we can achieve that without launching a full-scale attack on Iran, that would be a good thing, and I'm happy to accept that situation" .  Warning of 'Full, Large-Scale Assault'  While announcing the delay, Trump emphasized that the U.S. military remains fully prepared to strike if negotiations fail. "I have further instructed them 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," he wrote .  The president had spent weeks warning that the ceasefire was at a crossroads, repeatedly threatening that if Iran did not change course and reach an agreement, it would face devastating military consequences. "The clock is ticking," Trump said earlier. "There won't be anything left of Iran if no agreement is reached" .  Iran's Response and New Proposal  Iran has confirmed it submitted an amended 14-point peace proposal to the United States through Pakistani mediators . Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran's views had been "conveyed to the American side through Pakistan," though he provided no further details .  However, Iran has also remained defiant. The country's top joint military command warned that armed forces are "ready to pull the trigger" in the event of any renewed U.S. attack. "Any renewed aggression and invasion will be responded to quickly, decisively, powerfully, and extensively," said Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya .  U.S. Conditions for a Deal  According to Iranian media reports, the United States has outlined five key conditions for reaching a deal with Tehran :  Allowing only one Iranian nuclear facility to remain operational  Transferring 400 kilograms of Iran's enriched uranium to the United States  Refusing to pay any compensation or damages for the conflict  Withholding the release of 75% of Iran's frozen assets (releasing only 25%)  Conditioning any halt to the war on all fronts on the outcome of negotiations   The U.S. has reportedly shown some flexibility, however, with reports indicating Washington may accept waiving Iran's oil sanctions during the negotiation period . A senior Iranian sourc

Transcript

00:00Trump pauses planned Iran strike following Gulf leaders' appeal, citing ongoing negotiations.

00:06Washington, May 19th. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he has called off a

00:12planned military strike on Iran that was scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th, citing serious negotiations

00:18underway to end the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Tehran. In a post on his Truth Social platform,

00:25Trump stated that he made the decision after receiving urgent appeals from Gulf leaders who

00:30requested that Washington delay military action. According to Trump, the leaders of Qatar, Saudi

00:36Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates asked him to hold off on the attack because serious negotiations

00:42are now taking place, and they believe a deal will be made that would be very acceptable to the United

00:47States of America, as well as all countries in the Middle East and beyond. The president confirmed

00:53that he had informed the U.S. military that we will not be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow.

00:58However, he issued a sharp warning that military options remain on the table, adding that he had

01:04further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran

01:10on a moment's notice if an acceptable deal is not reached. Trump had previously warned Tehran that

01:17the clock is ticking and that Iran must move fast towards an agreement, or there won't be anything

01:23left of them. Those comments followed a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,

01:29during which the two leaders discussed the possibility of renewed military action against Iran.

01:35Iran's response and diplomatic efforts. Iran confirmed that it has submitted a new peace

01:41proposal to Washington, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Bagahi stating that

01:46Tehran's views had been conveyed to the American side through Pakistan. Pakistan has been serving as

01:52the primary mediator between the two sides, having hosted the only round of peace talks last month.

01:58Despite Trump's optimism, a Pakistani source familiar with the negotiations suggested that progress has

02:04been difficult, noting that the sides keep changing their goalposts, and that we don't have much

02:10time. Iran remained defiant following Trump's announcement. The country's top joint military

02:16command, Qatam al-Ambiyah, warned that Iranian armed forces are ready to pull the trigger in the event of

02:23any renewed U.S. attack, stating that any renewed aggression and invasion will be responded to

02:29quickly, decisively, powerfully, and extensively. Terms under negotiation. The negotiations are

02:37reportedly focused on several key issues. According to Iranian sources, the latest proposal would first

02:43prioritize securing an end to the war, reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has

02:49effectively blockaded, and lifting maritime sanctions, with contentious nuclear issues deferred to

02:55later rounds of talks. U.S. proposals have reportedly demanded that Iran operate only one nuclear site,

03:01and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium out of the country. According to Axios,

03:07the two sides are negotiating a moratorium on uranium enrichment that could last at least 12 years,

03:13with the U.S. pushing for enhanced inspections, including SNAP inspections by UN inspectors. Trump has

03:20consistently insisted that any final agreement must ensure no nuclear weapons for Iran. Regional

03:27context. The planned strike was set against the backdrop of one of the most volatile periods in U.S.-Iran

03:33tensions in recent years. On February 28th, Israeli and U.S. forces launched extensive airstrikes

03:40targeting Iranian sites, prompting Tehran to retaliate with drones and missiles aimed at Israel and American

03:46assets across the Gulf. A ceasefire reached in April has remained deeply unstable, with sporadic

03:52exchanges of fire continuing. Iran has maintained restrictions over the Strait of Hormuz, through

03:58which approximately one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas supplies transit. Tehran has

04:04framed the move as retaliation for U.S. and Israeli military actions, while global energy markets have

04:11reacted with sharp increases in oil prices.

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