US President Donald Trump scrapped planned military action against Iran after Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE urged Washington to pursue diplomacy instead.
Fresh negotiations with Tehran are set to begin, focusing on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and advancing Iran's denuclearisation.
Iran denied asking Trump to delay the strikes, while concerns over renewed hostilities and US munitions stockpiles continue to shape Washington's strategy.
Trump Backs Away From Iran Strike; Announces Fresh Nuclear Talks With Tehran
Fresh negotiations to begin as Gulf allies push Washington to avoid a wider West Asia conflict
US President Donald Trump Photo: Getty Images
Summary
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US President Donald Trump on Sunday decided to call off new military strikes against Iran following requests from Gulf allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), reports said. The decision marks a sudden shift towards diplomacy as the conflict enters its sixth month.
The war began with a surprise attack with Israel in late February, though months of on-and-off diplomacy subsequently led to periods of relative calm.
The two sides recently resumed tit-for-tat strikes, raising fears of a full-blown war before Trump halted the planned offensive.
Allies Request Diplomatic Deal
Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after spending the weekend at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
"I'm not looking to kill people because people die...we don't want that...I asked Saudi Arabia's king and crown prince. I said, would you rather have us do this or not? They said, we would much prefer a deal...Because you don't know where these attacks lead. I mean, they will be flooded with people pouring into their country, and it will be a disaster. A lot of bad things can happen," Trump said.
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His remarks marked a sharp turnaround from Saturday, when he said he was "losing faith" in negotiations with Iran and warned that the US military "will be hitting them very hard".
He claimed the planned strikes would have been the largest offensive since World War II. He added that both the Islamic Republic and Washington's regional allies had asked him to hold off on the strikes.
These comments followed his conversation with the Saudi crown prince on Saturday, before he announced that Middle East allies had reached the "perimeters" of a deal to end the five-month-old war.
Strait Of Hormuz Focus
New negotiations with Tehran will commence on Monday afternoon, AFP reported. Trump said: "Now what we're doing is we're talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon."
On Sunday, he told reporters that the talks would focus on the Strait of Hormuz—a vital waterway and a key sticking point that has remained largely shut since the conflict began—as well as the eventual denuclearisation of Iran.
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However, Tehran denied that it asked Trump to hold off on the strikes. The strategic shift comes amid growing concerns over Washington's depleting stockpile of munitions, including its Patriot missile interceptor systems.
The two sides resumed tit-for-tat strikes last month, weeks after they signed an interim deal to pave the way for future negotiations to end the conflict permanently. After hostilities resumed, fears mounted of a full-blown war.
Trump was reportedly weighing fresh military action, including potential attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure, while US embassies across the region remained on high alert.