U.S. President Donald Trump said he decided at the last moment to suspend plans for a major new military strike against Iran after urgent appeals from key Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, opening what could become the most significant diplomatic opportunity to halt months of escalating conflict in the Middle East. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday as he returned to Washington from New Jersey, Trump said U.S. forces had been fully prepared to launch what he described as “the biggest attack since World War II,” but he ultimately chose diplomacy over military escalation following conversations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other regional leaders who warned that another round of American strikes could ignite an uncontrollable regional war with severe global consequences.
According to Trump, Gulf leaders argued that while their countries remain committed security partners of the United States, another large-scale American assault on Iran could trigger a chain reaction extending far beyond the battlefield, threatening energy infrastructure, commercial shipping routes, regional stability and the global economy. Trump said he directly asked Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman whether Washington should proceed with the operation or continue pursuing negotiations, adding that the Saudi leadership strongly favored a diplomatic settlement over military action because of the unpredictable consequences that could follow another escalation.
The announcement marked another dramatic shift in Trump’s approach toward Iran after only a day earlier warning that he was rapidly losing confidence in negotiations and declaring that the U.S. military would strike Iran “very hard” if diplomacy failed. His latest decision signals that Washington may now be seeking to convert recent military pressure into political leverage rather than immediately expanding the conflict, although administration officials have not ruled out future military action should negotiations collapse.
Trump also said discussions with regional partners had produced what he described as the “perimeters” of a potential agreement aimed at ending the conflict that has dominated the Middle East for the past five months. While no formal accord has yet been announced, Trump expressed confidence that negotiations could resume within days and eventually produce a broader settlement addressing both regional security concerns and Iran’s nuclear activities.
A regional official involved in mediation efforts said the emerging proposal envisions the United States and Iran returning to indirect negotiations under the sponsorship of Gulf mediators while simultaneously working toward restoring maritime security throughout the Persian Gulf. According to the official, discussions include reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, ending attacks against commercial shipping, halting military operations by Iran-backed armed groups against Gulf states and Jordan, and easing broader regional tensions that have threatened international energy markets since the conflict began.
In return, the proposal reportedly envisions Washington ending its naval blockade measures against Iran and allowing Tehran to resume broader oil exports under a tentative ceasefire framework, although officials stressed that no final agreement has been reached and negotiations remain highly sensitive. Diplomats involved in the process cautioned that numerous political and security disagreements continue to separate the two sides, making any breakthrough far from guaranteed.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the central issues in the negotiations. Before the conflict, roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas passed through the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to international markets. Since fighting intensified, repeated attacks on commercial vessels and restrictions on maritime traffic have disrupted global shipping while raising insurance costs and increasing concerns over energy security.
Iran has maintained that the security environment in the Strait has fundamentally changed. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the waterway “will in no way return to the status it was before February 28,” indicating that Tehran intends to pursue a different security framework for future navigation. He added that Iranian officials are continuing discussions with neighboring Oman regarding maritime arrangements, while emphasizing that there is currently no agreement to fully restore commercial transit under previous conditions.
Iranian officials also responded cautiously to Trump’s latest announcement. Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh stated that Iran was “neither surprised nor passive” regarding American military threats and said the country’s armed forces remain fully prepared for any potential escalation. Iranian leaders continue to insist that while diplomacy remains possible, Tehran will respond decisively to any future military attack.
At the same time, political analysts believe divisions remain inside Iran’s leadership over how to approach negotiations with Washington. Some influential factions continue to oppose direct engagement with the United States under any circumstances, arguing that continued military resistance offers Iran greater leverage. Others reportedly believe sustained military pressure should be used primarily to strengthen Tehran’s negotiating position rather than prolong the conflict indefinitely.
Saudi Arabia’s role has emerged as one of the most significant diplomatic developments in recent weeks. According to officials familiar with discussions between Washington and Riyadh, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman warned Trump that another major American strike against Iran could provoke retaliation against U.S. allies throughout the Gulf, potentially targeting energy infrastructure, military installations and commercial facilities. Such attacks, Saudi officials reportedly argued, could severely disrupt global oil supplies and trigger renewed volatility across international financial markets.
Officials familiar with the discussions said Riyadh believes Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates possess substantial defensive capabilities against conventional missile and drone attacks, but remain concerned that broader regional escalation could expose other neighboring states, particularly Kuwait, to attacks carried out by Iran-aligned armed groups operating elsewhere in the region.
Trump acknowledged that his conversation with the Saudi Crown Prince played a decisive role in shaping his final decision, saying Gulf leaders believed diplomacy had a realistic chance of succeeding and urged Washington not to launch an operation that could rapidly expand into a much wider regional confrontation.
Despite the renewed diplomatic momentum, uncertainty continues to surround the future of the conflict. Previous ceasefire announcements have repeatedly collapsed as military operations resumed following mutual accusations of violations. Analysts caution that although the latest initiative represents one of the most serious attempts to restart negotiations since hostilities intensified, the path toward a comprehensive settlement remains fragile and vulnerable to setbacks on the battlefield or political opposition from hardliners on either side.
For global markets, the outcome of the current diplomatic effort carries significance far beyond the Middle East. A durable agreement could stabilize international energy supplies, reduce shipping risks in one of the world’s most strategically important maritime corridors and ease geopolitical tensions that have unsettled financial markets for months. Conversely, the collapse of negotiations could quickly revive the possibility of direct confrontation between the United States and Iran, with potentially far-reaching consequences for regional security, global energy prices and international trade.
Gulf leaders warn: New attacks could spark regional war
