Trump says Gulf leaders asked him to 'hold off' on resuming Iran war

Trump says Gulf leaders asked him to 'hold off' on resuming Iran war Submitted by MEE staff on Mon, 05/18/2026 - 20:11 A 'large scale assault' was 'scheduled' for Tuesday, the US president said US President Donald Trump returns to the White House in Washington, DC, after his trip to China, on 15 May 2026 (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters) Off The US will no longer resume its "full, large scale" war on Iran on Tuesday, because Gulf leaders have requested Washington to hold off, President Donald Trump has said .  "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 hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made," the US president wrote on his TruthSocial account on Monday. That prospective deal "will be very acceptable to the United States of America", and "will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!" Trump added. He said his "respect" for the rulers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE led him to accept their request.  The US military will 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," the president warned.  A shaky ceasefire has been in place since mid-April, brokered by Pakistan, following some 40 days of war. On Friday, Bloomberg reported that the UAE made a failed bid to convince Saudi Arabia and Qatar to launc...

Original source: Middle East Eye