Trump announces last-minute postponement of strike on Iran, but orders military to be ready for 'full-scale, full-scale assault'

US President Donald Trump announced on Monday, in a message published online, that he has decided to postpone a planned military strike against Iran, scheduled for Tuesday, while efforts to reach a peace agreement continue, adding that the United States is ready to launch the attack if no deal is reached, write Reuters and AFP.

The Republican president stated, in the message posted on his social network, Truth Social, that the request to suspend the planned military operation came from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who, according to Trump, believe that it is possible to reach a peace agreement.

The agreement in question will guarantee that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon, Donald Trump also wrote, without giving any other details.

Donald Trump's full message

• “I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to postpone our planned military attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday, May 19, no), as serious negotiations are currently taking place and, in their view, as great leaders and allies, it will be an agreement that will be very acceptable to the United States of America as well as to all countries in the Middle East and beyond.
• This deal will include, importantly, BAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON IRAN!
• Given my respect for the above-mentioned leaders, I have instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Daniel Caine, and the United States military that we will NOT carry out the planned attack on Iran tomorrow, but I have further instructed them to be prepared to proceed with a full-scale, full-scale assault on Iran at any time if an acceptable agreement is not reached. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.“

“For Iran, time is running out, and they had better act fast, otherwise there will be nothing left of them,” the American president threatened on Sunday, also in a message published on Truth Social.

Tehran announced on Monday that it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the Middle East war, which began on February 28.

“Our concerns have been conveyed to the American side” via Islamabad, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai told a news conference on Monday, adding that talks were continuing with Washington “through the Pakistani mediator.”

It has not yet been announced what the Iranian response will be. However, Tehran is “fully prepared for any eventuality”, added the spokesman, in the statements made after the new threats, on Sunday, launched by Trump.

A fragile truce has been in place since April 8, but according to the latest information, the positions of the two sides remain very far apart, especially on the nuclear issue.

According to Iran's Fars news agency, Washington presented a list of five points demanding, in particular, that Iran keep a single nuclear site operating and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States. Fars mentioned a quantity of 400 kilograms.

The only round of talks between US and Iranian representatives took place on April 11 in Islamabad and ended in failure.

What Iran asked for

On the ground, Tehran continues to control the Strait of Hormuz, strategic for global hydrocarbon trade, while the US military maintains a blockade of Iranian ports.

Tehran also reiterated its demands on Monday, calling in particular for the unfreezing of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of international sanctions that are crippling its economy.

“The Iranian negotiating team has firmly defended these points at every round of talks,” the Iranian diplomacy spokesman emphasized, also insisting on the payment of reparations for the war, which it considers “illegal and unfounded,” according to international press agencies, picked up by Agerpres.

Washington has refused to release “even 25 percent” of its assets or pay compensation for the damage Iran suffered during the war, Fars also wrote.