US President Donald Trump said on Monday there was a “very good chance” the United States could reach an agreement with Iran to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, hours after saying he had postponed a planned military attack to allow negotiations to continue.

Trump said leaders from key US allies in the Middle East had asked him to delay a planned military attack on Iran scheduled for Tuesday to allow negotiations with Tehran to continue, while warning the US remained prepared to launch a large-scale assault if no agreement is reached.

"There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy," Trump told reporters gathered for a drug price announcement on Monday.

The US leader had earlier announced on his Truth Social network that he was postponing the planned attack amid "serious negotiations" with Tehran, after Iran said it had responded to a new US proposal aimed at ending the war.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran's views had been "conveyed to the American side through Pakistan" but gave no details. A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has conveyed messages between the sides in the war in the Middle East since hosting the only round of peace talks last month, had shared the latest proposal with Washington. But the source suggested progress had been difficult.

In his post, Trump said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had requested that he hold off on the attack because "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." He did not offer details of the agreement being discussed.

But he also said he had instructed the US military "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."

Iran remained defiant in statements issued on state media after Trump's announcement, warning the US and its allies against making any further "strategic mistakes or miscalculations" in attacking Iran, while contending the Iranian armed forces were "more prepared and stronger than in the past."

Iran's top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said Iran's armed forces are "ready to pull the trigger" in the event of any renewed US attack, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency.

"Any renewed aggression and invasion... will be responded to quickly, decisively, powerfully, and extensively," the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, Ali Abdollahi, was quoted as saying. The Iranian peace proposal, as described by a senior Iranian source, appeared similar in many respects to Iran's previous offer, which Trump rejected last week as "garbage".

It would focus first on securing an end to the war, reopening the Strait of Hormuz - a major oil supply route that Iran has effectively blockaded - and lifting maritime sanctions.

On Monday, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA), a new body Iran has set up to manage the Hormuz strait, said it would provide "real-time updates" on X of operations and developments in the waterway. (Agencies)



Edited by Cecil Wong