Trump says US holding off on planned attack on Iran

US President Donald Trump shared on social media that he postponed the planned military attack against Iran, but efforts to reach an agreement continue.

Trump’s announcement came after Iran threatened that time was ticking to reach a deal or hostilities would resume after a fragile ceasefire.

The president did not provide details about the planned attack, which he said was planned for Tuesday, but instructed the U.S. military to be “ready to launch a full-scale, full-scale attack against Iran at a moment’s notice if an acceptable agreement is not reached.”

Trump had not previously announced plans for an attack on Tuesday, but warned over the weekend that “the clock is ticking for Iran and they better move FAST or there will be nothing left of them.”

Trump had been changing the parameters of reaching such a deal for weeks, threatening that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran did not reach a deal.

Trump said in his social media post that he canceled the planned attack at the request of his allies in the Middle East, including the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump repeatedly set deadlines for Iran and then backtracked.

Trump recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese President Xi Jinping about the Iran war.

Earlier on Monday, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that the United States had softened its stance on some issues because Iran sent it a new peace proposal.

Pakistan, which has been conveying messages between the parties in the war in the Middle East since hosting the single round of peace talks last month, shared its latest offer with the United States, a source said.

The Pakistani source stated that the parties “continue to change their goals” and said, “We do not have much time.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Iran’s views “were conveyed to the American side through Pakistan” but did not provide details.

with AP