President Donald Trump said he called off a planned U.S. attack on Iran to give negotiations more time, framing the decision as a temporary pause requested by Gulf allies who believe a deal with Tehran may still be within reach.

Trump said the attack had been scheduled for Tuesday and described it as a “very major” operation, according to Associated Press and Washington Post reporting on his Monday remarks and social media post. He said he was willing to hold off “for a little while” after leaders in the Gulf urged restraint and argued that diplomacy had not been exhausted.

The decision does not amount to a de-escalation pledge. Trump also warned that the United States could still strike Iran soon if negotiations do not produce a result, telling reporters that Washington may need to act again within days. Reuters reported Tuesday that Trump said the U.S. might need to “hit Iran again” and that he had come close to approving military action before deciding to postpone it.

The pause comes at a volatile moment in the U.S.-Iran confrontation, with Washington trying to prevent Tehran from advancing toward a nuclear weapon while avoiding a wider regional war that could pull in Gulf states, Israel, shipping interests and U.S. forces across the Middle East. Trump has said he wants a deal that addresses Iran’s nuclear program, but his latest remarks kept military pressure at the center of the administration’s strategy.

Trump said Gulf leaders, including officials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, had asked him to wait because they believed negotiations were making progress. Those countries have strong incentives to avoid another round of military escalation: their economies, energy infrastructure and shipping routes are deeply exposed to conflict around the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

The White House’s message was therefore twofold. Trump presented the postponed attack as evidence that he is giving diplomacy a chance, but he also used the announcement to reinforce a deadline-driven threat. That combination may be designed to increase pressure on Tehran, though it also raises the risk of miscalculation if Iran reads the pause as temporary rather than a diplomatic opening.

Iran has not publicly embraced the terms Trump has described. Tehran has long insisted that its nuclear program is not intended to produce weapons, while U.S. officials and allies have argued that Iran’s enrichment activity and regional military posture require stronger constraints. The latest round of tensions has made the diplomatic track more complicated because any agreement would have to address not only nuclear limits but also sanctions, regional security and the terms under which military action would stop.

The U.S. relevance extends beyond diplomacy. Any renewed strike could affect American service members stationed in the region, U.S. naval operations, global oil prices and domestic political debate over presidential war powers. The Persian Gulf remains one of the world’s most important energy corridors, and even limited military action involving Iran can quickly influence markets and shipping risk.

On Capitol Hill, the timing of Trump’s announcement sharpened an already active debate. The Senate on Tuesday advanced a war-powers resolution intended to curb the president’s authority to continue military operations against Iran without explicit congressional approval. Reuters reported that the measure advanced on a 50-47 procedural vote, with four Republicans joining most Democrats.

The resolution, led by Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and other Democrats, seeks to reassert Congress’s constitutional role in decisions over war. Kaine’s office said before the vote that the measure would require the withdrawal of U.S. forces from hostilities within or against Iran unless Congress authorizes the action. The resolution still faces major procedural and political hurdles, and Trump would be expected to oppose any measure restricting his flexibility.

Still, the vote reflected unease among lawmakers over the durability and scope of the conflict. Some senators have argued that the administration has not provided enough clarity on its objectives, legal rationale or exit strategy. Supporters of the resolution say Congress should not allow open-ended military operations to continue without a formal debate and vote.

The administration’s position has centered on deterrence and nuclear prevention. Trump has said he prefers a diplomatic outcome but has repeatedly warned that Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon. That posture gives the White House room to negotiate while keeping military options visible, but it also keeps U.S. policy in a state of high uncertainty.

For Gulf governments, the postponement may be a short-term diplomatic win. Qatar has frequently served as a mediator in regional disputes, while Saudi Arabia and the UAE have sought to protect major energy and commercial infrastructure from spillover conflict. Their reported intervention suggests regional partners are trying to influence the pace of U.S. decision-making rather than simply react to it.

For Iran, the delay presents both an opening and a warning. The opening is that Washington has not yet carried out the threatened attack. The warning is that Trump publicly tied the delay to rapid progress in talks, creating a compressed timeline that could leave little room for diplomatic sequencing or domestic political maneuvering in Tehran.

The uncertainty also affects Israel and other U.S. partners watching Iran’s military and nuclear posture. Any U.S. decision to strike, delay or negotiate changes the calculations of regional actors that may face Iranian retaliation or proxy activity. That is one reason the administration’s next moves will be closely watched in foreign capitals as well as in Congress.

By postponing the attack, Trump has created a brief window for diplomacy. But the window appears narrow, and the president’s own comments made clear that the threat of force remains active. Whether the pause becomes the start of a negotiated off-ramp or merely a short delay before another escalation will depend on whether U.S., Iranian and regional negotiators can turn the current pressure into verifiable terms both sides are willing to accept.