US President Donald Trump postponed a planned attack on Iran this week after being warned by Gulf allies and his own officials not to resume the war during the Hajj pilgrimage, Middle East Eye can reveal.
According to two senior Gulf officials, Trump was told that attacking Iran during the Hajj piligrimage would lead to a crisis within Gulf states, as it would leave hundreds of thousands of pilgrims stranded.
The sources also said that Trump was told that attacking during the holy period, which leads up to the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha, would further damage Washington's standing in the Muslim world.
A senior US official, who is familiar with discussions taking place within the Trump administration, confirmed that the conversations had taken place.
They said that the US president had been warned by his own officials that resuming the US-Israeli war now would cause serious "reputational damage" for Trump.
