עברית
Gulf States Push Back on Trump Claim About Delayed Iran Strike
Senior officials in Gulf countries told associates they were not aware of the attack plan President Donald Trump described against Iran, and also denied that they had asked him to delay the move.
Trump (Credit: shutterstock)A day after President Donald Trump dramatically announced that he had decided to postpone a planned American military strike against Iran following appeals from Gulf state leaders, those same countries have now issued a public denial.
According to a report in the "Wall Street Journal," officials in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar said they were not familiar with any plan for an immediate attack on Iran, contradicting Trump’s remarks.
According to the report, several senior leaders in Arab Gulf states, including some whose names were mentioned directly by the American president, told associates that they were not aware at all of any plan to renew strikes against Iran. It was also reported that those officials strongly denied the claim that they had approached Trump with a request to delay a military move that was supposedly set to begin as early as today.
Last night, Trump posted a surprising statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, claiming that the decision to hold off on the move came after a direct request from regional leaders: "I was asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to delay our planned military attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran, which had been scheduled for tomorrow."
Trump went on to say that the request stemmed from those countries’ belief that a diplomatic channel with Tehran could still produce results: "This is because serious negotiations are now taking place, and in their opinion, as great leaders and allies, an agreement will be reached that will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as to all countries in the Middle East and beyond."
Later, speaking with reporters at the White House, the American president expanded on the decision and said it was only a temporary delay of a major military operation: "We were preparing for a big attack but we delayed it, maybe forever, but at least for now — because we are having serious discussions with Iran."
Trump added: "Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries asked me to delay the attack by two or three days because they believe they are close to signing an agreement. I updated Israel on the decision. If we can reach an agreement in which Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon — we will probably be satisfied."
