President Trump was, by his own account, an hour away from authorizing military strikes on Iran. Then he picked up the phone.
On May 19, Trump announced he had called off planned strikes against Iran, set to launch on Tuesday, after requests from Gulf allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. US forces remain on standby for what the administration has described as potential large-scale assaults if negotiations collapse.
The deadline, per Trump, is Sunday. By then, the president says he will decide between two paths: a deal with Iran that meets US requirements, or resuming the military option.
The nuclear brinkmanship behind the deadline
The current standoff traces back to the breakdown of prior nuclear agreements and the aftermath of what’s been called the “Twelve-Day War” ceasefire in 2025.
