Report: Trump Delayed Iran Strike After Gulf States Urged Caution

A Politico report published Friday says U.S. President Donald Trump backed off plans for an attack on Iran at the last minute after leaders from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan urged him not to escalate. According to the report, the three told Trump that an initial agreement between Washington and Tehran was within reach and that diplomacy should be given another chance.

U.S. officials said Trump was persuaded that the negotiations were making real progress and decided to suspend the strike plans. He later wrote on Truth Social that a deal could be signed as soon as the weekend. In Tehran, the message was more cautious. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said much of the draft text had been completed, but added that Iran would not compromise on its “red lines” and that no final decision had been made.

Trump had said only a day earlier, while signing an executive order, that “the agreement with Iran will be signed in the coming days.” He said the text was in its final drafting stage and that the signing ceremony was expected to take place in Europe, with Vice President J.D. Vance attending in his place. He also said oil prices should fall as a result of the deal, “perhaps even to lower levels than before.”

Trump said he had spoken with regional leaders, including Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Turkey, and mentioned a call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said “the whole Middle East is happy,” and added that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen once the agreement was signed. The Iranian Fars news agency said Washington had dropped recent additions it had made to the draft about two weeks earlier and returned to the original text proposed by Iran, although Tehran had still not issued a final response.