Trump Says He Reversed Decision to Strike Iran an Hour Before Giving the Order

by | May 19, 2026

Trump Says He Reversed Decision to Strike Iran an Hour Before Giving the Order

by | May 19, 2026

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President Donald Trump said that he was an hour away from giving the military the order to restart the war before he was convinced to call off the attack. 

“We were all set to go … It would have been happening right now,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. The President added that he was “an hour away” from giving the order. 

The remarks at the White House followed a Truth Social post on Monday where Trump stated he was convinced to call off the strikes by Gulf Arab countries. “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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. “To hold off on our planned Military attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow.”

“Serious negotiations are now taking place.” He added, “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.”

In his post, Trump threatened that if Iran did not agree to his terms for a peace deal, he would order the attack. I “have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached,” the President wrote.

On Monday, Pakistan warned that talks between the US and Iran had stalled and the ceasefire could soon collapse.

Kyle Anzalone

Kyle Anzalone

Kyle Anzalone is news editor of the Libertarian Institute, opinion editor of Antiwar.com and co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Will Porter and Connor Freeman.

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