Washington (Web Desk/Agencies): US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States could still carry out strikes against Iran, adding that he was only about an hour away from taking the final decision before choosing to delay the planned action.
Speaking to journalists at the White House, Trump said he had nearly greenlit the military operation earlier in the day but stepped back to allow diplomacy a chance to progress.
“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
He said Iranian leadership was pushing for an agreement, but warned that a US attack could still be launched within days if talks fail.
"Well, I mean, I'm saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time, because we can't let them have a new nuclear weapon."
On the other side, Iran’s military issued a strong warning, saying it would intensify its response if the United States resumed strikes following Trump’s remarks that he had paused an offensive to give diplomacy a chance.
"If the enemy is foolish enough to fall into the Zionist trap again and launches new aggression against our beloved Iran, we will open new fronts against it, with new equipment and new methods," said army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, according to Iran's ISNA news agency.
Separately, Iranian state media IRNA reported that Tehran’s latest peace proposal to Washington includes a broad end to hostilities across multiple regions, including Lebanon, along with demands for the withdrawal of US forces from areas near Iran, the release of Iranian assets, and compensation for damages caused by what it described as the US-Israeli war. The proposal also reiterates Iran’s position stressing its “right to enrich and enjoy peaceful nuclear rights”.
The report discussed “ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon, lifting the US naval blockade, releasing Iran’s property and assets, providing for the damages caused by the war imposed by the US for reconstruction, ending all unilateral sanctions and Security Council resolutions, and withdrawing US forces from the Islamic Republic’s periphery”, according to IRNA.
Qatar, meanwhile, said on Tuesday that ongoing US-Iran negotiations being facilitated with Pakistan’s mediation need more time to reach a breakthrough, a day after Trump indicated he had delayed military action to allow diplomacy to continue.
"We are supportive of the diplomatic effort by Pakistan that has shown seriousness in bringing parties together and finding a solution, and we do believe it needs more time," Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said at a press conference.
Iranian officials also issued sharp warnings. Spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament's National Security Commission Ebrahim Rezaei stated on Tuesday that "any new aggression against Iran will be met with a stronger response and will make Trump even more ashamed," according to an X post by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
"The Americans must either surrender to diplomacy and our conditions, or surrender to the power of our missiles."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also reiterated Tehran’s firm stance, saying that its nuclear enrichment rights cannot be compromised. "Enrichment is Iran's right. Others' remarks on this matter do not matter!"
Meanwhile, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that an “Iran War Cost Tracker” estimated the combined financial burden of the conflict and the US military presence in the region at more than 85 billion and 396 million dollars after around 80 days.
A fragile ceasefire continues to hold following six weeks of conflict that erupted after US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran. However, drone activity reportedly launched from Iraq toward Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, has continued, with Iran rejecting accusations of involvement. The Foreign Ministry also condemned a recent incident in which Saudi Arabia said it intercepted three drones entering its airspace from Iraq.