US President Donald Trump has said the United States has shelved what he described as “the biggest attack since World War II” against Iran and will instead move forward with fresh negotiations aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and addressing Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said the talks are expected to begin on Monday afternoon. He indicated that diplomacy was being given another opportunity after several regional allies urged Washington to avoid military action.
Trump says allieas pushed for diplomacy
According to Trump, the US was prepared to carry out a large-scale military operation before deciding to halt it. He said leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar encouraged Washington to hold back, arguing that military action could derail ongoing diplomatic efforts.
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“We were all set to go,” Trump said.
Explaining why the operation was cancelled, he added, “The reason they asked is [that] they think there’s a deal. There’s a deal on Hormuz, and there will be a deal on the nuclear.”
Trump also described the cancelled operation as “the biggest attack since World War II.”
Focus on Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme
Trump said the upcoming negotiations would centre on two key issues: reopening the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping routes, and securing Iran’s denuclearisation.
“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll see,” he said.
When asked whether the US had fixed a deadline for the talks, Trump replied, “We’ll just see how it is. We’re ready to go any time we want. Would I rather make a deal? I’m not looking to kill people… We don’t want that.”
Iran rejects Trump’s claims
Iran dismissed Trump’s version of events, rejecting his claim that Tehran had sought a pause in potential US military action.
The semi-official Mehr News Agency called Trump’s assertion “nothing but a new lie.”
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that negotiations, being mediated by Oman, on an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz were moving ahead and were “on track for finalisation,” according to Iranian media.
Fresh talks follow months of tensions
The latest diplomatic initiative comes after months of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. Earlier this year, on April 7, Trump warned that “a whole civilisation will die tonight” if Iran refused to engage in peace talks. He also threatened strikes on civilian infrastructure and power facilities.
Those warnings were followed by rare face-to-face talks in Pakistan led by US Vice-President JD Vance. While the meetings were seen as a significant diplomatic development, they concluded without a final agreement.
FAQs:
Why did Trump cancel the planned US attack on Iran?
Trump said the attack was called off after Gulf allies urged diplomacy, believing negotiations could secure a deal on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme.
What will the new US-Iran talks focus on?
According to Trump, the talks will centre on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reaching an agreement on Iran’s denuclearisation.