U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters near the construction site for a planned banquet hall at the White House on May 19, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Kent Nishimura | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump said Tuesday he had “an hour” left to decide whether to attack Iran, but was convinced to postpone the attack for several days.
“We were ready … it would have happened right now,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, when asked how close he was to ordering a strike that would formally end the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran that is nominally in place.
In a post on Truth Social Monday afternoon, President Trump claimed he was postponing an unannounced strike scheduled for Tuesday after multiple Middle East leaders asked him to “delay” it in light of ongoing talks with Iran.
Prior to President Trump’s post, there were no clear indications that the United States was preparing to attack Iran on Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported that Gulf officials from some of the countries Trump mentioned said they were not aware of any imminent plans to attack Iran.
Trump himself said later in his remarks Tuesday: “I haven’t told them.”
“I won’t tell anyone when, but they knew we were very close,” he said. “I guess so. I had an hour left before I decided to go today.”
Then he said, “I made the decision. So they called me and when they heard I made the decision, they said, ‘Sir, could you please give me a few more days, because I think they are reasonable?'”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was in Kentucky on Monday campaigning against U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
Asked how long Iran would need to be at the table, Trump said it could take two or three days, or even Sunday or early next week. “We can’t let them have nuclear weapons, so it’s only for a limited time,” he said.
The ceasefire remains active, but the war appears to have reached an uneasy stalemate for weeks as the two countries continue to struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipping.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened further military action against Iran, only to delay the deadline he had set.
Recent polls show a growing majority of Americans have negative views of the war, which began on February 28 and has lasted far longer than the Trump administration’s original plan of four to six weeks.
A New York Times/Siena poll released Monday found that 31% of registered U.S. voters approve of President Trump’s handling of the Iran war, while 65% disapprove, with the majority saying they “strongly disapprove.”
President Trump said Tuesday that he believes people who understand the administration’s goals will support the operation.
“Everyone says it’s unpopular, but when you hear it has something to do with nuclear weapons, I think it’s very popular. A weapon that could destroy Los Angeles or any major city,” he said.
“When I explain it to people, I don’t have enough time to explain it to people. I’m too busy getting it done. Once they get it, I think it’s going to be very popular, frankly,” he said. “But whether it’s popular or not, we have no choice but to do it.”
