US President Donald Trump on Monday said Iran had been given a “last chance” to reach an agreement with Washington, claiming the United States postponed a planned military strike after requests from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Iran to pursue diplomacy.

Speaking at the Oval Office after signing an Executive Order establishing the first-ever Presidential Military Spouse Commission, Trump said negotiations with Tehran were under way and reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remained the United States’ primary objective.

Trump Claims Diplomacy Delayed Planned Military Action

Addressing reporters, Trump said the US had been prepared to carry out a major military operation against Iran before diplomatic outreach led to a pause.

“This is a last chance. This is not something that if it doesn’t happen, this is a last chance for them to sign a good document,” Trump said.

He claimed the talks were taking place at Iran’s request and were supported by several Gulf countries.

“We are talking right now, we’re talking and we’re talking at the request of Iran, backed by Saudi Arabia, backed by UAE, and backed by Qatar in particular, but others also. Many countries called… they all wanted to give this a last chance,” he said.

Trump also alleged that Iran had publicly denied negotiations despite holding extensive discussions with US officials.

“It’s an amazing thing… we have many talks… they’ll sometimes deny it, even though they’ve spent hours and hours together talking. But the talks are going along,” he said.

‘We Were Going to Hit Them Very Hard’

Trump claimed the United States had been ready to launch a large-scale strike before receiving appeals to continue diplomatic efforts.

“We were going to hit them very hard yesterday, very, very hard, harder than any attack… since World War II. We were set to go and they called and, in addition, Saudi Arabia called, UAE called, Qatar called. I got calls from numerous people,” he said.

“Now, I don’t want to use the word begging, but some were in particular. Iran did not want to be hit. And they said we want to talk… more importantly, from my standpoint, we want to talk about the de-nuclearization of Iran because that’s what it’s all about,” Trump added.

Reiterating Washington’s position, Trump said the US would not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and argued that previous administrations had failed to resolve the issue.

“It should have been done… for 50 years… nobody did it. And it was time,” he said.

Trump also referred to previous US military operations, claiming they had significantly weakened Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

“We hit them hard with the B2s more than a year ago now and that knocked out their capability… and we’ve done a great job,” he said.

Iran Denies Talks With Washington

Earlier on Monday, Trump criticised Iran in a post on Truth Social, accusing its leadership of being “unbelievably duplicitous” by seeking talks with Washington while publicly denying that negotiations were taking place.

He also repeated his assertion that “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon” and claimed the United States maintained complete control over access through the Strait of Hormuz until an agreement or “total surrender” was reached.

His remarks came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei rejected reports of direct or indirect negotiations with the United States, maintaining that Tehran was not engaged in bilateral talks with Washington.

Baghaei also said that an understanding between Iran and Oman regarding a new maritime traffic route through the Strait of Hormuz was a technical arrangement intended to improve vessel safety and should not be interpreted as the reopening of the strategic waterway.

Trump Signs Order Supporting Military Families

Separately, Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the first-ever Presidential Military Spouse Commission, describing it as a measure to strengthen support for military families.

“Thank you for all being here as we take a major new step to support our incredible military families… Today, I’m signing an Executive Order to establish the first-ever Presidential Military Spouse Commission,” he said.

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