Trump says US attack on Iran paused to allow talks

Facing mounting pressure over a war that has rattled global oil markets, US President ⁠Donald Trump said he has halted a planned strike on Iran to leave room for negotiations, after Tehran delivered a fresh peace proposal to Washington.

Mr Trump said he had ordered the US military to stand down for now, writing that “we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”

The president, who has been under growing strain to secure an agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and contain the economic damage from the war he launched in February, has repeatedly signalled that an end to the conflict was within reach. Each time, however, a breakthrough failed to emerge.

In the same post, he said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia ‌and the United Arab Emirates had urged him to delay the previously unannounced attack, arguing that “a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond”.

“Serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond… we will NOT be doing the scheduled… pic.twitter.com/cxBBaNUB6E

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 18, 2026

Mr Trump’s post followed confirmation from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei that Tehran’s position had been “conveyed to the American side through Pakistan”, though he did not elaborate.

A Pakistani source also confirmed that Islamabad had passed along the latest proposal to Washington. Pakistan has served as a go-between during the Middle East war and hosted the only round of peace talks last month. Still, the source indicated the diplomacy had been rocky.

The sides “keep changing their goalposts,” the Pakistani source said, adding: “We don’t have much time.”

According to a senior ⁠Iranian source, the new proposal largely mirrored Iran’s earlier offer, which Mr Trump dismissed last week as “garbage”.

A man walks past a huge billboard supporting Iran’s national football team in the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada

The plan would first aim to stop ‌the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz – a critical oil shipping lane that Iran has effectively blockaded – and lift maritime ⁠sanctions.

More divisive questions involving Iran’s ‌nuclear programme and uranium enrichment would be pushed into later stages of negotiation, the source said.

But in what appeared to be a shift in Washington’s position, the senior Iranian source said the United States had agreed to free up a quarter of Iran’s frozen assets – worth tens of billions of dollars – held in foreign banks.

Iran is seeking the release of all of those funds.

The Iranian source also said Washington had shown ⁠greater willingness to allow Iran to continue some peaceful nuclear activity under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The US has not confirmed that it has agreed to ⁠any terms in the talks.

Part of the proposal would see the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to the war

Separately, Iran’s Tasnim news agency cited an unidentified source as saying the US had agreed to suspend oil sanctions on Iran while negotiations continued.

Iranian officials did not immediately respond to Tasnim’s report, while a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the claim was false.

A fragile ceasefire has held after six weeks of war triggered by US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, though drones have continued to be launched from Iraq toward Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, apparently by Iran and its allies.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning a drone attack on Sunday, after Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted ‌three drones that entered the country from Iraqi airspace.