Trump threatens ‘a big hit’ if Tehran does not make deal soon

Key points

• Donald Trump has again threatened Iran, saying the US may launch new attacks if Tehran continues to refuse the significant concessions he wants before a deal can be struck to end the Middle East war.
• The US president said he had called off a fresh wave of strikes, which would have broken the ceasefire in place since early last month.
• “I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump said on Tuesday.
• The decision apparently followed a further peace proposal submitted by Tehran via Pakistan, which has mediated, and may have been motivated by the reluctance of allies, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, to see hostilities resume.
• Trump said Iran’s leaders were “begging” to make a deal, but a new US attack would deliver “a big hit” in the coming days if one was not reached.