Trump says he’s pausing plan to attack Iran

President Trump said Monday that he’d planned to strike Iran “tomorrow” but was holding off to give negotiations another chance. He claimed he made the decision at the request of several Arab leaders.

Why it matters: The White House saw an updated peace proposal Iran sent Sunday as insufficient, leading to a growing expectation — including inside the White House — that Trump was about to strike.

• Trump has extended deadlines and postponed planned attacks on Iran at least half a dozen times since the war began.

Driving the news: Trump was expected to convene his top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options, two U.S. officials told Axios.

• A senior U.S. official told Axios on Monday morning that if Iran didn’t shift its position, the U.S. would have to continue the negotiations “through bombs.”

What he’s saying: “I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia and the President of the United Arab Emirates to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow,” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.

• He added that the Arab leaders told him that “serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.”
• Trump claimed the deal would make sure that Iran doesn’t have nuclear weapons.
• He has made repeated claims about progress toward a deal since the war began, but there have been no recent breakthroughs.

Behind the scenes: Trump spoke on the phone with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE in the 24 hours before his announcement, two sources with knowledge said.

• One U.S. official claimed there had been “a unified message from Doha, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh. It was along the lines of ‘give negotiations a chance because if you hit Iran, we will all pay the price for it.'”
• A second source with knowledge said Trump had told some of his hawkish political allies the three Arab leaders told him “they don’t want their oil and energy facilities blown up” due to Iranian retaliation.
• Trump told reporters the Arab leaders had asked him to hold off “for two or three days,” adding that he’d informed Israel ahead of time of his decision.

What to watch: The president wrote Monday on Truth Social that he had instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine to suspend the attack plans but to be prepared to go forward “with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”

المصدر: Axios