The president says “serious negotiations” are underway that could end the war with Iran.
Washington—— president donald trump Said he was postponing Military strike against Iran It is planned for Tuesday as “serious talks” to end the war get underway.
“It seems very possible that they can work something out. If we could do that without bombing them, I would be very happy,” Trump said at the White House on Monday night after first announcing the news in a social media post.
Trump said he had planned “a very major attack” but postponed it — “for now, hopefully, maybe forever.” He said U.S. allies in the Gulf asked him to wait two to three days because they believed a deal with Iran was close.
Trump has threatened for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran does not reach a deal, and has changed the parameters for such a deal. Over the weekend he warned that “the clock is ticking for Iran and they better act quickly or they will have nothing left.”
The president has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran but then backed off. But he has also previously said he would delay military action to allow negotiations to continue – only to turn around and launch an attack. That’s what happened at the start of the war, when he ordered the attack shortly after saying in late February that he would let negotiations continue.
Trump said the current pause in negotiations was a “very positive development,” while acknowledging that there have been several instances in the past when a deal seemed close but ultimately came to nothing. “But it’s a little different,” he said.
Trump praises Gulf allies
The president, who had not previously disclosed that he planned to launch an attack on Tuesday, gave no details about the planned strike but said in a social media post that he had directed the U.S. military to “be prepared to conduct a full, massive attack on Iran at a moment’s notice if an acceptable agreement cannot be reached.”
Trump said he called off the attack at the request of Middle East allies including the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Iran and allied Shia militias in Iraq have launched drone attacks on Gulf Arab states during the war. The United Arab Emirates recently accused Iran of launching drone and missile attacks in defiance of a ceasefire agreement. on Sunday, drone attack A fire started on the edge of the UAE’s only nuclear power plant in what authorities called an “unprovoked terrorist attack” but did not pursue accountability.
Trump has also interacted with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk about the Iran war.
Oil prices affected
Trump’s post quickly caused a drop in attention oil priceSentiment has been rising over the prospect of a prolonged standoff that would effectively close the Strait of Hormuz.
Minutes before the president’s announcement, oil futures were trading at $108.83 a barrel. His comments about negotiations almost immediately sent prices down more than $2, but prices climbed again, closing at $107.25 a barrel on Monday.
Shortly after Trump’s post, Iranian state television called it a “retreat” based on “fear” on its radio show and on its X account.
Earlier reports said the defense system for Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz was activated on Monday night. It added that the situation was “under control” on the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, home to about 150,000 people and a desalination plant.
Major sticking points remain
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for transporting oil, natural gas, fertilizers and other petroleum products. The U.S. is blocking Iranian ports and redirecting 85 commercial ships from mid-April to Monday, U.S. Central Command said in a social media post.
Earlier on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the top priority in negotiations between the United States and Iran was keeping the Strait of Hormuz open, but Iran’s nuclear program remained a core issue.
Fidan told a joint news conference with his German counterparts in Berlin that most of Iran’s enriched uranium that could be used to make nuclear weapons was buried under collapsed tunnels following the U.S.-Israeli attacks. The United States said it was closely monitoring any movements in stockpiles.
“At this time, there is no situation that poses a real threat,” Fidan said. “But for this to continue, the parties must reach and complete nuclear negotiations.”
The Turkish minister said he believed Iran was not opposed to complying with nuclear conditions in principle, but added: “The question is what will be given in return, in what order and under what conditions.”
As talks stalled last week, Iran’s foreign minister said on Friday that a lack of trust was the biggest obstacle to talks.
Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and is said to include some nuclear concessions in its latest proposal to end the war. But Trump dismissed the proposal as “garbage.”
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