Donald Trump said a planned US military strike on Iran, scheduled for the following morning, was put on hold after overnight calls from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The disclosure came in an unusual way: the public learned a strike had been planned at the same moment it learned the operation had been paused.
Three Gulf leaders asked for a short delay
In a Truth Social post dated May 18, Trump said Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan personally asked him to hold off. According to Trump, they told him that “serious negotiations are now taking place” and argued that a deal could be reached that would be acceptable to the United States and countries across the Middle East.
Trump made clear that one condition was not open to compromise: Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. The report says Tehran submitted a new proposal to Washington on Sunday. Fars News Agency described it as a response to a US five-point list that included keeping only one nuclear site operational and transferring highly enriched uranium stockpiles to the United States.
Hormuz is the immediate pressure point
The request from the Gulf states reflects a direct interest in regional stability and energy flows. Trump said they asked for a “short delay of two or three days” because they believed they were close to an agreement. On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the immediate objective of the talks was to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
That waterway carries about 20% of the global oil supply each day. The source material says Iran has largely kept the strait closed since the war began in late February 2026. Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority also announced that it would post real-time operational updates on X, a sign that Tehran is aware of how closely energy markets are tracking developments in the corridor.
The strike is delayed, not removed as an option
Trump paired the pause with a military readiness order. He said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Daniel Caine had been instructed to ensure the US military could move ahead with a full, large-scale assault on Iran at a moment’s notice if no acceptable deal is reached. In separate remarks, he said he had put the action off “for a little while,” while expressing hope that the delay could become permanent.
The military option remains active. The April 2026 ceasefire had already been described by Trump as being on “life support” days before this announcement, and US and Iranian forces exchanged fire last week. Since the war started in late February, the two sides have held only one formal round of talks, in Pakistan. The next decision point appears close: the report frames it as a matter of 48 to 72 hours, depending on whether Iran’s latest proposal clears Washington’s threshold.
An unusual disclosure signals intense back-channel diplomacy
The article’s analysis section says the same-day intervention by Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE points to a coordinated mediation effort that had not been visible in public before. Trump’s decision to publicly credit all three leaders adds to that reading. Just as striking is the communication sequence itself: a planned strike was revealed only after it had been called off, placing the diplomatic push, the military warning, and the market-sensitive Hormuz issue into a single announcement.