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Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Trump calls off planned U.S. attack on Iran

Mr Trump said in a post on the Truth Social platform that the strike, scheduled for Tuesday, was called off as “serious negotiations are now taking place”.

• May 19, 2026
U.S. President Donald
U.S. President Donald Trump [Credit: BBC]

President Donald Trump says he has suspended a planned United States military attack on Iran following appeals from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Mr Trump said in a post on the Truth Social platform that the strike, scheduled for Tuesday, was called off as “serious negotiations are now taking place”.

“Based on my respect for the above-mentioned leaders, I have instructed the secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine, and the United States military that we will not be doing the scheduled attack on Iran tomorrow,” Mr Trump said on Monday.

He said the Gulf leaders believed a deal “very acceptable” to the U.S. and countries in the Middle East could be reached.

“This deal will include, importantly, no nuclear weapons for Iran,” Mr Trump insisted.

The president, however, said he had instructed Messrs Hegseth, Caine, and the U.S. military to prepare for “a full, large-scale assault of Iran on a moment’s notice” if no acceptable deal is reached.

His announcement came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran’s response to the U.S. proposal had been “conveyed to the American side through Pakistan”—a key mediator in the Iran war.

Both countries agreed to a ceasefire on April 8 to allow negotiations to end the war, but no agreement has been reached, even though Iran and the U.S. have exchanged proposals.

“For Iran, clock is ticking, and they better get moving fast, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Mr Trump threatened on Sunday, days after saying the Islamic Republic was on “massive life support” and describing its demands as “totally unacceptable”.

Among its demands, Iran seeks an end to all hostilities, the lifting of the U.S. blockade on its ports, compensation for war-related damages, and full control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz again on April 18, less than 24 hours after reopening it, citing the U.S.’s continued blockade of its ports.

Since the war in Iran began on February 28, global oil supply has been disrupted amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for crude oil shipments.

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