The United States Claims to Delay Strikes on Iran at the Request of Three Countries; Iran: If the U.S. Invades Again, We Will Respond Quickly, Decisively, Strongly, and Comprehensively.

[Global Times Correspondent in Egypt Huang Peizhao, Global Times Special Correspondent Ywen] On the 18th local time, U.S. President Trump stated on social media that at the request of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, he has ordered the postponement of the military strike against Iran that was "originally scheduled for tomorrow (the 19th)." Trump indicated that the three countries, along with several others, requested him to "delay the military strike by two to three days" because they believe that a U.S.-Iran agreement is "very close to being reached."

In his post, Trump wrote that serious negotiations are taking place between the U.S. and Iran, and the leaders of the three countries believe that a deal will eventually be reached that is "acceptable to the U.S., the Middle East, and even a broader range of countries." Importantly, the agreement will stipulate that "Iran must not possess nuclear weapons." At the same time, he instructed the U.S. military to be prepared for a "full-scale, large-scale" attack on Iran if a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached. Following Trump's post, international oil prices fell sharply.

The U.S. news site Axios quoted two informed sources as saying that Trump spoke with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE in the 24 hours prior to announcing the decision to postpone the strike on Iran. The leaders of the three Middle Eastern countries conveyed a "unified message" to Trump, hoping to "give negotiations a chance." They indicated that if the U.S. strikes Iran, these three countries "would also pay the price." The leaders expressed that they do not want their energy facilities to be destroyed due to Iranian retaliation.

According to a report by CNN on the 18th, Trump told reporters at an event at the White House that the U.S. is prepared to launch a "very significant" attack on Iran on the 19th. However, "I have postponed it for a short period of time, hoping that this may be permanent, but it could also just be temporary. Because we have had very significant discussions with Iran, and we will see what the results of these discussions will be." Trump later told reporters that as long as an agreement can be reached with Iran to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons, the U.S. would be satisfied. Reuters reported that the U.S. had never publicly announced the strike plan before, and it could not confirm whether the U.S. had prepared for related airstrike operations.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed that Iran's position "has been conveyed to the U.S. through Pakistan," but did not disclose details. Subsequently, Trump made a statement about canceling the strike. Pakistani sources confirmed that since hosting the only round of peace talks last month, Pakistan has been acting as a messenger between both sides in the Middle Eastern conflict and has now conveyed Iran's latest proposal to Washington, but the source admitted that the negotiation progress is difficult, stating, "The negotiating parties keep changing the terms and backtracking. We are running out of time."

After Trump announced the postponement of the strike, Iranian state media issued a statement with a tough stance. Iran warned the U.S. and its allies not to launch further attacks on Iran to avoid making more strategic mistakes and misjudgments, while also claiming that the Iranian military is now better prepared and stronger. The Iranian Tasnim News Agency reported that the Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces, Khatam al-Anbiya, stated that if the U.S. attacks again, the Iranian armed forces are ready to retaliate at any time. The commander of the Central Headquarters, Ali Abdollahi, stated: "Once the U.S. initiates aggression again, Iran will respond swiftly, decisively, powerfully, and comprehensively."

Reuters reported that according to high-level Iranian sources, Iran's current peace proposal is largely similar to previous plans, while Trump had previously dismissed Iran's old proposal as "garbage" and refused to accept it. The core demands of the proposal are primarily to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and lift maritime sanctions.

Reuters stated that high-level Iranian sources on the 18th indicated that the U.S. attitude has clearly softened and has agreed to unfreeze one-fourth of Iran's frozen assets held in overseas banks; while Iran hopes to unfreeze all assets. The source also stated that the U.S. negotiating position is more flexible, agreeing to allow Iran to continue some peaceful nuclear activities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, the U.S. has not confirmed any related consensus reached during the negotiations. The Iranian Tasnim News Agency cited anonymous sources stating that the U.S. has agreed to waive oil sanctions against Iran during the negotiations. Iranian officials have not yet responded to this report, but an unnamed U.S. official stated that the information is inaccurate.

Additionally, according to reports from i24 News and the Jerusalem Post on the 18th, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu convened a small group of senior officials and aides for security consultations for the second time in less than 24 hours to assess the current situation and possible options. Informed sources told i24 News that when Trump spoke with Netanyahu on the 17th, the two did not reach a clear consensus on the next steps. Both the U.S. and Israel are preparing for all scenarios and maintaining close coordination.

Reuters commented that since the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked Iran three months ago, the U.S. has implemented a maritime blockade, and Iran firmly controls the Strait of Hormuz, leading to a stalemate between the two sides. Both countries are unwilling to back down, the economic difficulties are escalating, and the risk of resuming hostilities continues to rise. Within the U.S. and Israel, calls for a new round of military strikes are growing stronger. Some officials believe that increasing pressure could weaken Iran's negotiating leverage and force Iran back to the negotiating table. Iranian officials told Reuters that making concessions on missile programs, nuclear capabilities, and control of the Strait is not a bargaining chip, but rather the ideological foundation for the survival of the Islamic Republic of Iran. An analyst stated: "Both sides are caught in a war of attrition, and the likelihood of a renewed attack by the U.S. and Israel is increasing day by day."