Washington, United States. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned attack against Iran to allow negotiations on a deal to end the U.S.-Israeli war, after Iran sent a new peace proposal to Washington.
Trump orders pause while keeping military option open
Trump said he had instructed the U.S. military that “we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow,” while also directing forces to be prepared for a “full, large scale assault” on short notice if an acceptable deal is not reached.
He has previously expressed hope that a deal was close to ending the war, but no agreement has materialized.
Gulf leaders urged delay, Trump says
Trump said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates requested that he hold off on the previously undisclosed attack, saying “a Deal will be made” that would be acceptable to the United States, countries in the Middle East, and beyond.
Iran says its views conveyed through Pakistan
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran’s views had been “conveyed to the American side through Pakistan,” without providing details.
A Pakistani source said Islamabad shared the latest proposal with Washington and has conveyed messages between the sides since hosting the only round of peace talks last month, but added that progress had been difficult because the sides “keep changing their goalposts.”
Proposal described as similar to previous offer
A senior Iranian source described the proposal as similar in many respects to Iran’s previous offer, which Trump rejected last week as “garbage.”
The proposal would focus first on securing an end to the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz—an oil supply route that Iran has effectively blockaded—and lifting maritime sanctions.
What do you think the next step should be in negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
