Trump backs down from 'full scale' Iran attack scheduled for TOMORROW after plea from Gulf allies

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 20:19, 18 May 2026 | Updated: 20:28, 18 May 2026 Donald Trump has revealed he aborted a 'full scale' attack on Iran at the eleventh hour, standing down US forces only after Middle Eastern leaders personally intervened to plead for one last shot at a nuclear deal.  Trump announced on Truth Social that he will 'not follow through' with the strike scheduled for Tuesday. The President repeated his previous claims that 'serious negotiations' with Tehran over a permanent peace deal are now underway.  'I have been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as Great Leaders and Allies, a Deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond,' Trump wrote.  'This Deal will include, importantly, no nuclear weapons for Iran! Based on my respect for the above mentioned Leaders,' Trump continued.  Trump noted he had instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the US military to call off Tuesday's strike, but to stand ready for a 'full, large scale assault' on Iran if no deal is reached. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.