The Japan Times - Trump says holding off on new Iran attack

Trump said that he stopped the purported attack plan at the behest of Gulf Arab allies, which Iran has threatened with reciprocal attacks if the United States and Israel relaunch their assault and end a nearly six-week ceasefire.

Trump, who had indefinitely extended the truce and made clear he wants to exit a war that has proven to be a political liability, said publicly that he had prepared a new attack for Tuesday.

The leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates asked him "to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

He said the Gulf allies voiced confidence in reaching an agreement "which will be very acceptable" to the United States and Middle Eastern nations and result in "NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!"

But Trump 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 has repeatedly rebuffed Trump's offers on a deal and has exerted control over the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway into the Gulf, sending global oil prices spiraling.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed exchanges with the United States through mediator Pakistan and said Tehran made clear its "concerns."

The cleric-run state, whose supreme leader was killed in the initial strikes on February 28 but has proven resilient, is demanding the release of Iranian assets frozen abroad and the lifting of long-standing sanctions.

Baqaei said Iran was also demanding reparations for the "illegal and baseless" war and was "fully prepared for any eventuality" if the United States resumes military action.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, considered a moderate in a system increasingly dominated since the war by the hardline Revolutionary Guards, said that speaking with Washington in search of a deal was not to be viewed negatively.

"Dialogue does not mean surrender. The Islamic Republic of Iran enters into dialogue with dignity, authority, and the preservation of the nation's rights, and will under no circumstances retreat from the legal rights of the people and the country," he wrote on X.

On Sunday, Iran's Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.

US authorities had refused to release "even 25 percent" of Iran's frozen assets or pay any reparations for war damage, Fars said.

But Iran's Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed source close to the Iranian negotiating team, said Monday that the United States made one new step forward in the latest text by agreeing to waive oil sanctions during a negotiation period.

- New Hormuz body -

In an earlier proposal, which was sent last week, Iran had called for an end to the war on all fronts, including Israel's campaign in Lebanon, as well as a halt to a US naval blockade on Iranian ports in place since April 13.

Fars said the Iranian proposal had emphasized that Tehran would continue to manage the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy conduit which Iran has largely kept closed since the start of the war.

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

The account added that "navigation within the designated jurisdictional area of the Strait of Hormuz" required "full coordination" with the authority and that passage without authorization would be considered illegal.

Earlier this month Iranian English-language broadcaster Press TV said that ships passing through the strait were to be sent instructions by email.

The Revolutionary Guards also said Monday that internet fiber optic cables passing through the strait could be brought under an Iranian system of permits.

- Strike in Kurdistan -

Iran has also been ramping up military pressure.

The Revolutionary Guards on Monday said they struck groups linked to the United States and Israel within the Iranian province of Kurdistan, near the border with Iraq.

In a statement carried by the ISNA news agency, the Guards said groups from "northern Iraq and acting on behalf of the US and the Zionist regime were attempting to smuggle a large shipment of American weapons and ammunition" into Iran.

Raising fears even higher in the region, a drone strike Sunday triggered a fire near a nuclear power station in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The UAE's defense ministry said the drone entered the country from the west and did not name a culprit, but UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash appeared to blame Iran and its regional proxies.

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H.Nakamura--JT