Trump says US attack on Iran paused amid peace negotiations
US President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a televised address on the conflict in the Middle East from the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC on April 1, 2026. President Donald Trump made his case for attacking Iran in his first nationwide address more than a month into the war, insisting the United States was close to victory as his approval rating sinks. In an evening speech from the White House, Trump broke little new ground on how the war would end and vowed two to three weeks further of "extremely hard" strikes against Iran.
Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP
United States President Donald Trump said he had paused a planned attack against Iran on Tuesday, 19 May, as negotiations continued to end the US-Israeli conflict after Tehran submitted a new proposal for a peace agreement in Washington.
According to Trump, the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates requested that the attack be put on hold because “a deal will be made,” which he described as something that would be “very acceptable” to the United States and countries around the world.
In response to their request, Trump said he instructed the US military not to proceed with the planned attack on Iran. However, he added that the military had been ordered to remain prepared for a large-scale assault should Iran fail to reach an agreement.
Based on a Reuters report, no attack had previously been announced, including the reported “preparations” that could signal a renewed escalation in the conflict, which began in late February.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran’s position had already been conveyed to the American side through Pakistan, although he did not provide further details.
Meanwhile, Trump earlier expressed optimism that a deal was close to ending the war, but noted that negotiations had become more complicated because the agreement includes a provision banning Iran from possessing nuclear weapons.