03.08.2026 10:32
US President Donald Trump stated that he has suspended planned strikes against Iran on the condition of reaching a deal involving the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program, saying, 'Talks begin tomorrow afternoon (Monday), and we will see the outcome.' Trump indicated that if Iran does not reach a deal, they can resume strikes at any time.
US President Donald Trump answered questions from journalists aboard the presidential plane Air Force One while en route to Andrews Joint Base.
Referring to his decision to cancel the planned new strikes against Iran, Trump said, "This was requested by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iran. We were fully ready to act. It was going to take place right about now and would have been a fairly large attack. But when allies ask you to cancel it, you kind of have to say, 'okay, let's see.' The reason they wanted this is that they think a framework for a deal has been established. There is a deal regarding the Strait of Hormuz, and then there will be a deal on nuclear, or what you might call the denuclearization of Iran. I call it the denuclearization of Iran."
"WE ARE HOLDING BACK THE STRIKES"
Emphasizing that they could resume strikes if Iran fails to reach a deal, Trump said, "We are holding back the strikes. We'll see. We can do it anytime we want. But we were asked by three major groups to suspend the strikes. In fact, Iran also requested it very strongly. They said, 'We want to make a deal.' I don't know what they say publicly, because many times they tell me this, and then they say, 'We don't know what you're talking about.' Frankly, they don't want to be attacked because they saw our preparation and understood its scale."
"A DEAL WOULD SAVE MANY LIVES"
Stating that they are in contact with Iran, Trump said, "Talks begin tomorrow afternoon (Monday), and we will see the outcome." Expressing his support for making a deal with Iran, Trump said, "I would love to do it. Because it would save many lives. Honestly, it would prevent unnecessary use of force. Rebuilding what was destroyed would take many years. In fact, I don't even think they could rebuild it. So, we had the largest attack plan since World War II, and it would have been a disaster for them. They didn't want us to do it. Frankly, Saudi Arabia didn't want it either. They thought a deal would be coming soon."
"WE ARE READY TO ACT AT ANY MOMENT"
Asked whether there is a deadline for Iran to reach a deal, Trump said, "We'll wait and see what happens. We are ready to act at any moment. Would I prefer to make a deal? I'm not looking to kill people, and we don't want that. So they asked us, especially Iran, but also the other three countries. I asked them, I asked the King of Saudi Arabia. I said to the Crown Prince, 'What would you prefer?' I asked, 'Do you want us to do it, or not?' They said they would much prefer us to make a deal rather than attack, because you never know where these attacks could lead. So, will they be dealing with a flood of people streaming into their countries and disasters? A lot of bad things could happen."
"IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LARGEST ATTACK SINCE WORLD WAR II"
Avoiding a definitive answer to the question, "Were you ready to strike Iran's energy infrastructure?", Trump said, "It was going to be a massive attack. It would have been by far the largest attack since World War II. But they asked us not to do it. They said, 'Please don't.' Their other neighbors also said that. So, we will see if we can make a deal on denuclearization."