Hours after US President Donald Trump postponed a planned military attack on Iran on Monday, he told reporters that there was a "very good chance" the United States could reach an agreement with Iran to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
"There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy," he stated.
He added, regarding the possible agreement, “It’s a very positive development, but we’ll see whether it amounts to anything.” Trump also pointed out that there have been prior times when US officials thought a deal was imminent, but he reiterated that this time is "a little bit different."
Earlier on Monday, Trump mentioned in a Truth Social post that leaders of Gulf states had requested that he hold off on striking Iran.
Trump was originally planning to carry out the strikes on Tuesday, he wrote.
The leaders mentioned in the post were Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and UAE President Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
"Based on my respect for the above-mentioned leaders, I have instructed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Daniel Caine, and the United States Military that we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow," Trump said.
"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," he wrote.
Trump holds firm on no nuclear weapons for Iran
"This Deal will include, importantly, NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!" he added.
Trump has "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," he added.
In an interview with the New York Post on Monday, Trump stated that he is “not open” to making any concessions to Tehran following Iran's disappointing response to peace deal negotiations.
“I can tell you they want to make a deal more than ever because they know what’s going to be happening soon,” Trump said.
When asked about his previous comment on Friday, in which he expressed a willingness to accept a 20-year moratorium on Iranian uranium enrichment, Trump replied, “I’m not open to anything right now.”
Reuters contributed to this report.