He made the remarks to journalists at the White House on May 19, 2026.
“There was only one hour left before I made the decision to strike today,” Trump said.
Trump explained that negotiators on the Iranian side are seeking a deal, but warned that if no agreement is reached, the United States could still carry out military action against Iran.
“I’m talking about within two or three days — maybe Friday, Saturday, or Sunday something could happen, or early next week, as soon as possible, because we cannot allow them to obtain a new nuclear weapon,” he said.
The head of the Security Commission in Iran’s Parliament, Ebrahim Azizi, stated that the attack was halted because Trump realized they could face serious consequences, including heavy retaliatory strikes.
Iran’s latest draft agreement reportedly included conditions that all ongoing conflicts involving both sides should come to an end, including the conflict in Lebanon, the withdrawal of American troops stationed near Iran, and compensation for damages caused by joint military attacks involving U.S. and Iranian forces.
