Donald Trump said he had put off a planned U.S. military strike on Iran for one day after leaders of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia asked him to hold off while serious negotiations were underway. The president said the attack had been set for the next day before it was postponed, and added in a post that the planned strike was off for now even as he ordered forces to be ready to move on a moment’s notice.
Iran, meanwhile, made a new proposal for a deal meant to definitively end the war in the Middle East, officials in the region said on Monday. Esmail Baghaei said Pakistan had passed Tehran’s latest proposal to the United States, while a Pakistani source said Washington and Tehran kept changing their goalposts and that time was running out to reach agreement. Trump separately called the Iranian offer “very acceptable,” though there was no immediate sign of a breakthrough.
The move came after six weeks of U.S.-Israeli airstrikes and Iranian retaliation, followed by a ceasefire that has paused most of the violence but produced little progress in talks. Regional officials said the Iranian proposal included a long-term suspension of its nuclear programme and the transfer of highly enriched uranium to Russia, but there was no independent confirmation of those claims or of reports that sanctions on Tehran’s oil exports would be waived during negotiations.
The standoff also widened beyond diplomacy. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened on Monday to impose permits on internet cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring how quickly the conflict could spill into shipping and communications. Trump was expected to meet national security advisers on Tuesday to discuss options for resuming military action, a reminder that the pause he announced is not the same thing as peace.
Baghaei warned that Iran would answer any pressure with forceful restraint of its own, saying: “As for their threats, rest assured that we are fully aware of how to respond appropriately to even the smallest mistake from the opposing side.” For now, the negotiations continue with no clear endpoint, and the next decision point comes on Tuesday.
