New negotiations with Tehran are scheduled to begin Monday afternoon following President Trump’s decision to call off a “massive” military attack on Iran planned for over the weekend.
The decision to stand down came after direct appeals from several Gulf allies as well as Iran itself. Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud spoke privately with the president on Saturday to discuss the situation.
“I was asked to by Saudi Arabia, by UAE, by Qatar, and by Iran,” Trump stated while addressing reporters when asked why he aborted the strike plan. He noted that military forces were fully prepared, adding, “We were all set to go.”
Recounting his conversation with the Saudi crown prince, Trump shared, “I said to the crown prince, ‘What would you rather do? Would you rather us do this or not?’” According to the president, the response favored diplomacy: “They said we would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack, because you don’t know where these attacks lead.” The crown prince reassured him that Iranian officials felt a diplomatic resolution was within reach. “They thought that a deal is imminent,” Trump observed, explaining that terms would cover both the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program.
The administration has maintained that the critical waterway must remain open and free of tolls for global oil shipments and trade, while ensuring Tehran cannot acquire nuclear weapons.
Addressing whether a lasting agreement could actually be secured given past diplomatic breakdowns among internal factions within the Iranian regime, Trump remained cautious about the upcoming discussions. “A lot of times they’ll say that to me, and then they’ll go out and say we don’t know what he’s talking about,” he remarked. Although he declined to set a strict deadline for concluding negotiations, he emphasized that military options remain available, stating, “We’re ready to go anytime we want.”
The cancellation of the strikes followed reports that American and Israeli officials were evaluating potential targets across Tehran’s energy infrastructure. Trump declined to confirm whether the aborted strikes were directed at energy facilities. Tehran had previously warned that strikes against its energy sector would prompt retaliatory measures against oil and gas infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Israel.
Administration officials emphasized that any meaningful dialogue depends on an immediate cessation of hostilies, with one US official noting, “That’s the basis for any type of negotiation; it starts with a cease-fire, and it has to start with Iran.”