Trump pauses planned military strikes against Iran, cites further negotiations

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

Renewed military strikes against Iran have been postponed once again, President Donald Trump said Monday.

In a Truth Social post, the president says a military attack was scheduled for Tuesday, but it has been put on pause at the request of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, citing “serious negotiations” taking place.

“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, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as countries in the Middle East and beyond,” the president wrote. “This deal will include, importantly, no nuclear weapons for Iran! Based on my respect for the above mentioned leaders, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine and the United States Military, that we will not be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow.”

Despite the extended pause in military operations, Trump has told his military leaders to “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 extension of the ceasefire that was initially announced April 7 comes amid reports over the weekend that a drone had struck a nuclear power plant causing a fire in the UAE, while Saudi Arabia intercepted three drones.

It is believed the drones came from Iraqi airspace, but it is unclear if the attacks were carried out by Iran or one of its proxies.

Iran has repeatedly attacked its Gulf neighbors since the U.S. and Israeli strikes began Feb. 28.

Saudi Arabia reportedly carried out attacks inside Iran earlier this month. The two countries have been at odds for decades in a struggle for regional power, deepened by sectarian divisions as Sunnis lead Saudi Arabia, while Shi’ites lead Iran.

Over the weekend, Trump sent another ominous warning to Iran, telling them that the “clock is ticking,” repeating threats of destruction on its bridges and power infrastructure.

Last week, the president told reporters that the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is on “life support.”

As Trump was preparing to depart on his trip to China, The Center Square asked the president what his red line would be to end the ceasefire with Iran. He responded that he would be “thinking about it” while en route to China.

The president reiterated to The Center Square that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” Trump told reporters on Air Force One while returning to Washington, D.C., that he would be open to a deal in which Iran would agree to suspend its nuclear enrichment for 20 years.

In earlier talks between the U.S. and Iran, Pakistan served as a mediator – though those talks stalled. The president has claimed the Iranian leadership is disjointed, making it difficult to cut a deal.

Trump didn’t indicate whether Pakistan or another country, or countries, is mediating the latest round of talks.