On the 18th, U.S. President Trump stated that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and several other countries had requested him to delay military strikes on Iran by two to three days because they believed a U.S.-Iran agreement was very close to being reached.
Speaking to media reporters at a White House event, he said that the United States was prepared for a very significant strike against Iran on the 19th. However, "I postponed it for a short period of time, hoping it might be permanent, but it could also be temporary. Because we have had some very significant discussions with Iran. We’ll see what comes out of these discussions."
He said that there has been some very positive progress during the negotiations and that these Gulf allies have a chance to help reach an agreement.
He said this situation was a little different from previous times when the U.S. side thought an agreement with Iran was imminent.
Earlier that day, Trump posted on social media that, at the request of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, he had ordered the originally planned military strike on Iran scheduled for the 19th to be postponed.
In his post, he wrote that the U.S. and Iran are engaged in serious negotiations, and the leaders of the three countries believe that the U.S. and Iran will eventually reach an agreement acceptable to the United States, the Middle East, and even all countries in a broader region. Importantly, the agreement will stipulate that Iran is not allowed to possess nuclear weapons. At the same time, he ordered the U.S. military to be ready to carry out a comprehensive and large-scale attack on Iran at any time if a satisfactory agreement could not be reached.