Tue 19 May 2026 at 5:25amTue 19 May 2026 at 5:25amDonald Trump has been trying to extract an acceptable "deal" from Iran for weeks. (AP: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)US President Donald Trump says an attack on Iran that was "scheduled for tomorrow" has been postponed at the request of gulf state leaders.In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said he was asked by the emir of Qatar, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and the president of the United Arab Emirates to hold off because "serious negotiations are now taking place".He said those leaders believed a deal was set to be struck, which would include "no nuclear weapons for Iran"."Based on my respect for the above mentioned Leaders, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, The Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine, and The United States Military, that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow," Mr Trump wrote.But he said he had "further instructed them 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".A ceasefire has been in place since April 8, but Mr Trump has repeatedly used social media to threaten Iran with further military action.When he announced the ceasefire, Mr Trump said it was subject to Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz.But the vital shipping route remains effectively shut down and Iran has threatened shipping companies they will be attacked if they try to cross the strait.The US has blockaded Iranian ports in response.American efforts to extract a "deal" from Iran have yielded no breakthroughs and Mr Trump last week described the ceasefire as being on "life support".ABC