US President Donald Trump said he has suspended a planned attack on Iran after Tehran sent a new peace proposal to Washington, and assessed that there is a "very high chance" for the two sides to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear program.
In a post on May 18 (US time), Mr. Trump said he had instructed the US military not to conduct "the attack scheduled for tomorrow", but still asked forces to be ready to launch a large-scale attack "in a very short time" if an agreement that Washington considers acceptable is not reached.
Previously, there was no public announcement about this attack plan, some newspapers said, it is not yet possible to verify whether the US is really preparing for a new military campaign against Iran or not.
The new move comes as Washington is under pressure to find a solution to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic energy transportation route that Iran has actually blockaded after airstrikes by the US and Israel that began in late February.
Mr. Trump said that leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have asked the US to postpone the attack because they believe that an agreement can be reached, not only in the interests of the US but also of the entire Middle East region.
Speaking to reporters later, President Trump emphasized that the US would be pleased if an agreement was reached to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons.
I think there is a great opportunity for them to solve the problem. If we can do that without bombarding them fiercely, I will be very happy," Mr. Trump said.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran has conveyed its views to the US through Pakistan but did not disclose details of the proposed content.
Despite sending diplomatic signals, Iran maintains a tough stance. Iranian state media warned the US and its allies not to make further "strategic mistakes or miscalculations" when attacking Iran.
The Khatam al-Anbiya military command announced that the Iranian armed forces are "ready to pull the trigger" if the US restarts the military campaign. Commander Ali Abdollahi emphasized that any new attack will be responded to "quickly, drastically, strongly and widely".
According to Iranian sources, the US is also more flexible in allowing Tehran to continue some civilian nuclear activities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
However, Washington has not confirmed any concessions in the negotiation process. Iranian news agency Tasnim also quoted an unnamed source as saying that the US has agreed to exempt oil sanctions against Iran during the negotiation period. A US official denied this information and called it untrue.
