Trump Says Planned Iran Strike Was Delayed After Requests From Middle East Leaders

[Financial News]  \r\n
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 18th, local time, that he had postponed a planned strike on Iran set for the 19th. He said he did so after requests from the leaders of three major powers in the Middle East.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said he had informed the U.S. military command that "we will not carry out the strike on Iran scheduled for tomorrow."
He explained that the request came from Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (MbS), and United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Trump claimed that the leaders asked him to delay the strike, saying that "serious negotiations are currently under way... and a deal will be reached that is good for the Middle East and for other countries as well, while still being acceptable to the United States."
He added that the agreement would fundamentally include the message that "Iran cannot have any nuclear weapons."
Trump also said he told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine that the strike planned for the 19th had been postponed, but that they should be ready to carry out a full-scale, large-scale attack on Iran at any moment if no acceptable agreement is reached.
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dympna@fnnews.com Song Kyung-jae Reporter