A day after US President Donald Trump claimed that Gulf leaders had urged him to avoid fresh military action against Iran, officials from some of those countries said they were unaware of any such operation, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump had said on Monday that he decided to “hold off” on striking Iran after leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates appealed for more time for diplomacy. According to him, the leaders told Washington that “serious negotiations are now taking place” and requested that the US not go ahead with an attack that he said had been planned for Tuesday.
The Gulf allies believe “a Deal will be made” that includes “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” Trump wrote.
He said the request came from Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
However, officials from some of those Gulf nations later told The Wall Street Journal that they had “no knowledge” of any imminent US military plan.
Even as he announced a pause, Trump made clear that military action against Iran remained on the table. Speaking at the White House, he said the US had come very close to launching another strike and that he had been “an hour away” from approving it before deciding to step back.
He also warned that Washington could still attack Iran within days if talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme failed.
“Well, I mean, I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week,” Trump said.
The US president repeated that Iran could not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and claimed Iranian leaders were now “begging” for a deal.
On Sunday, Trump had issued another warning to Tehran, saying “there won’t be anything left of them” if Iran fails to quickly reach an agreement with the United States.
Washington has remained locked in a confrontation with Tehran since large-scale US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28. Efforts to break the deadlock and move towards ending the conflict have so far made little progress, even as the war continues to unsettle the Middle East and drive up global energy prices.
“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!”