US President Donald Trump disclosed today that the United States military came within a single hour of launching catastrophic new airstrikes against Iran, but the operation was aborted at the final moment following an urgent intervention by three Arab Gulf nations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump painted a stark picture of the near-miss escalation, detailing how close the US military came to restarting an active theater of war.
“I was one hour away; everything was ready to roll,” Trump declared. “It would have happened right now.”
The Behind-the-Scenes Intervention from UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar
Writing earlier on his Truth Social platform, the US President revealed that he made the decision to freeze the imminent military campaign on Monday after receiving direct appeals from the leaders of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. The Gulf leaders reportedly pleaded with the White House to pause military action to allow a fragile, last-ditch diplomatic breakthrough to play out.
Trump explained that he had been in intense, rolling consultations with Arab state leaders for over 48 hours while drawing up plans to resume heavy strikes against Iranian state targets.
[THE 60-MINUTE WINDOW]
US Warships Armed & Ready -> Gulf Leaders Call White House -> Trump Grants Multi-Day Diplomatic Extension
“They had caught wind that I had finalized the decision to act today, and they called saying: ‘Sir, can you please grant us just a few more days? We truly believe they [the Iranians] are starting to show reason,’” Trump shared. He added that the Gulf interlocutors assured him they had achieved “significant progress” in carving out a quiet backchannel negotiating track with Tehran.
Retaliation Fears Loom Over the Gulf
When questioned by reporters on whether the Arab nations demanded a ceasefire out of paralyzing fears that a US assault would trigger proxy strikes or direct Iranian missile retaliation on their own domestic soil and oil infrastructure, Trump acknowledged that the threat was legitimate.
“They still have some capacity left,” Trump said, evaluating Iran’s current asymmetric warfare and missile capabilities across the Middle East. “Not a lot, but they still have some.”
A Final Warning: “We May Have to Give Them Another Big Hit”
While the President agreed to hold off on ordering the strike until later this week to test the validity of the Arab-led diplomatic talks, he made it clear that Washington’s patience is extremely thin. Trump concluded his remarks by re-issuing a severe military warning to Tehran if the backchannel negotiations fail to produce immediate results.
“We may still be forced to give them another massive hit,” the President warned.
