Trump Puts Iran Strike on Hold One Day Before Attack... "Full-Scale Offensive If Talks Fail"

Iran Delivers New Peace Proposal to the U.S.

Reported to Have Made Concessions on Nuclear Development

Disagreements Remain over Duration of Uranium Enrichment Halt

Trump: "No Concessions at All"

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he abruptly put a halt to military strikes against Iran just one day before the scheduled action. However, by revealing that he has instructed preparations for a large-scale military attack should nuclear negotiations break down, he has brought the ceasefire talks between the United States and Iran to a critical turning point.

On the 18th (local time), President Trump stated on his social networking service, Truth Social, "I received requests from Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar; Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia; and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to postpone the planned military attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran."

U.S. President Donald Trump's Truth Social

He continued, "Although the attack was planned for tomorrow, serious negotiations are now underway. An agreement acceptable to the United States, the entire Middle East, and beyond will be reached."

President Trump particularly emphasized, "The most important element of this agreement will be 'NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN.'"

He added, "Out of respect for these leaders, I have instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane, and the U.S. military not to proceed with the planned attack on Iran tomorrow."

However, he made it clear that the military option has not been completely taken off the table. President Trump warned, "If an acceptable agreement is not reached, I have given further instructions to be ready to launch a full-scale and massive strike against Iran immediately."

Trump Rejects Iran's Latest Ceasefire Proposal

Just hours earlier, President Trump had issued a hardline message, rejecting Iran's latest ceasefire proposal. In a phone interview with the New York Post that day, he said regarding Iran's ceasefire offer, which was recently delivered through Pakistani mediation, "At this point, I am not considering accepting anything."

He hinted at the possibility of military action, stating, "Iran will soon find out what is going to happen." He also pressured Iran by saying, "They want an agreement more than ever, because they know exactly what we are about to do."

In particular, President Trump distanced himself from his previous position, where he had told reporters aboard Air Force One on the 15th that "a plan to suspend Iran's nuclear program for 20 years would be acceptable." While that statement had represented a step back from his earlier stance, in the interview on this day, he drew a clear line, saying, "Nothing is on the table right now."

Axios also reported that sentiment inside the White House regarding Iran's proposal is negative. Citing a senior U.S. official, Axios reported that the White House does not see Iran's latest ceasefire proposal as "meaningful progress" and does not consider it sufficient for an agreement.

The official pointed out, "Iran's counterproposal includes only formal progress compared to the previous version. While their statements about not seeking to develop nuclear weapons have increased, there are still no concrete commitments to halt uranium enrichment or to hand over existing stockpiles of highly enriched uranium."

Regarding Iran's claim that some oil export sanctions could be eased during the negotiation period, the U.S. side reiterated, "We will not offer sanctions relief for free, without reciprocal action from Iran."

Iran Strongly Insists on Reparations... Disagreements on Enriched Uranium 

Earlier, Iran's Tasnim News reported, citing sources, that Iran had delivered a new ceasefire proposal consisting of 14 articles to the United States through Pakistan. The new proposal reportedly includes guarantees to end the war, U.S. trust-building measures, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and the lifting of the U.S. maritime blockade.

Tasnim News also reported that Iran is strongly committed to seeking war reparations. Citing sources, the outlet said, "There is a very strong resolve regarding war reparations," but that "the U.S. side is instead mentioning 'development and fund establishment,' which is far from meeting Iran's demands in many respects."

The report further mentioned that there are differences of opinion between the two sides regarding the return of Iran's frozen assets. For the United States, suspending uranium enrichment and addressing the issue of existing highly enriched uranium stockpiles remain core demands.

According to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei reiterated Iran's stance that day. Spokesperson Baghaei said, "This is absolutely not a matter for negotiation or compromise," adding, "Iran's right to uranium enrichment is recognized under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)."

With the leaders of major Middle Eastern countries directly mediating to prevent the escalation of a full-scale war, the U.S. attack has been delayed by one day. Given President Trump's warning that "Iran will soon find out what is going to happen," this week is expected to be a crucial moment in the negotiations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.