Trump says Gulf leaders' input weighed heavily in decision to hold off on ordering new Iran strikes
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (August 2, 2026) he decided to hold off on ordering American forces to carry out new strikes against
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (August 2, 2026) he decided to hold off on ordering American forces to carry out new strikes against Iran at the urging of Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The President added that a plan was in place for U.S. forces to carry out "the biggest attack since World War II" on Sunday (August 2, 2026). But he decided to scrap the plan and give diplomacy more time to play out after hearing from key Gulf leaders — including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — as well as at the request of unnamed Iranian officials. West Asia war updates on August 3, 2026 "I said to the Crown Prince, 'What would you rather do? Would you rather us do this or not?'" Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. "They said we would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack, because you don't know where these attacks lead." Mr. Trump and the Crown Prince spoke on Saturday (August 1, 2026) before the U.S. President announced in a social media post that the West Asia allies had reached the "perimeters" of a deal to end the five-month-old war. It was another turnabout for Mr. Trump, who a day earlier said he is "losing faith" in negotiations with Iran and offered the ominous warning that the U.S. military "will be hitting them very hard".
Trump on Sunday (August 3, 2026) reiterated that the emerging deal would include a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway where about a fifth of the world's energy flowed before the start of the war, and would resolve U.S. concerns about Iran's nuclear programme. Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorisation as part of its conflict with the U.S. And Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on Sunday (August 3, 2026) that the Strait of Hormuz "will in no way return to the status it was before February 28", the day the war started. On a call with Iranian state TV, he added that Iran is discussing shipping through the strait with Oman, on the other side of Hormuz, but that there is no current talk about reopening the crucial waterway. Trump has announced halts to strikes on Iran on several occasions since the U.S.and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, only for things to unravel and fighting to resume again. Iran's Defence Minister said on X that the country was "neither surprised nor passive" following Mr. Trump's announcement and said Iran remains alert in the face of concrete threats from the US. While Iran's leaders appear united in a war strategy signalling strength and endurance, a struggle for control seems to be brewing within the theocracy's leadership between those who oppose all negotiations with the U.S. and others who count on military pressure to win at the negotiating table.
The BriefWire