Trump puts off 'planned Iran strikes' at Gulf request

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he halted a planned military strike on Iran after urgent appeals from Gulf Arab leaders, while warning that Washington remains prepared for a "large scale assault" if diplomatic efforts fail.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said he had been contacted by senior regional leaders seeking time for negotiations aimed at securing a nuclear agreement with Tehran. He said the leaders were optimistic about a deal.

Trump said that he was asked by Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to hold off on "our planned Military attack …, which was scheduled for tomorrow", Trump said.

"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," he added.

The president said that this deal will include, no nuclear weapons for Iran. "Based on my respect for the above mentioned Leaders, I have instructed 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 of Iran tomorrow," he announced.

"But have further instructed them 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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

The announcement came amid already heightened tensions in the Gulf region, where diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the Iran-US standoff have shown limited progress in recent days, as differences persist over Iran's nuclear programme and sanctions relief.

Against this backdrop of uncertainty, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi returned home on Monday after a three-day visit to Tehran, where he held high-level meetings with Iranian leadership, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.

Naqvi was originally scheduled to return on Sunday but extended his stay for further consultations. Before departing, he held another meeting with Araghchi.

The flurry of diplomatic engagements came after Iran, through Pakistan, submitted a revised proposal to the US seeking an end to the war. However, US media reports, quoting White House officials, said the latest Iranian response was deemed insufficient and that President Trump would meet his top military commanders on Tuesday (today) to discuss the next course of action.

It is believed that Iran, in its latest proposals, made fresh commitments regarding its nuclear programme. However, Tehran did not offer concessions on its uranium stockpiles nor agree to forgo its right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that talks with the United States were continuing through Pakistani mediators. He, however, made clear that Iran would not compromise on its right to enrich uranium for civilian use.

According to Reuters, Iran sent a new peace proposal to the US with terms that appeared broadly similar to offers Washington had previously rejected, although a senior Iranian official said the US had softened its position on some issues.

"The sides keep changing their goalposts," a Pakistani source told Reuters, adding: "We don't have much time." Baghaei also confirmed that Tehran's views had been "conveyed to the American side through Pakistan," but did not disclose details. Washington did not immediately comment.

The Iranian proposal, as described by the senior Iranian official, appeared similar in many respects to Tehran's previous offer, which President Trump last week dismissed as "garbage." According to Axios, the White House believes Iran's updated proposal does not represent a meaningful improvement and remains insufficient for a deal.

Axios, citing senior US officials, reported that President Trump is expected to convene his top national security team in the Situation Room on Tuesday to discuss military options amid growing frustration over Iran's refusal to make major concessions on its nuclear programme.

A senior US official told Axios that the latest Iranian counter-proposal, delivered through Pakistani mediators on Sunday night, contained only "token improvements" over the previous version.

The report said the new proposal included stronger language about Iran's commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon, but lacked detailed commitments on suspending uranium enrichment or handing over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Axios further reported that while Iranian state media claimed the US had agreed to waive some oil sanctions during the negotiations, American officials denied any sanctions relief would come "for free" without reciprocal Iranian steps.

"We are really not making a lot of progress. We are at a very serious place today. The pressure is on them to be responsive in the right way," a senior US official told Axios. Another official warned that if diplomacy failed, "we will have a conversation through bombs."