President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he was just an hour away from ordering a military strike on Iran before agreeing to postpone the action for several days at the request of Middle Eastern leaders.
"We were all set to go ... It would have been happening right now," Trump told reporters at the White House. He added that he had already made the decision when calls came in urging him to wait.
The president claimed in a Truth Social post on Monday that he was delaying a previously unannounced strike planned for Tuesday because several leaders asked him to "hold off" amid ongoing discussions with Iran. There had been no prior public indication that such an attack was imminent.
Trump later clarified his remarks, noting that he does not inform foreign officials of exact timing. "I never tell anybody when, but they knew that we were very close," he said. "I would say we were, I was an hour away from making the decision to go today."
He described how the leaders reached out after hearing about his plans. "I had made the decision. So they called up, they had heard I made the decision, and said, 'Sir, could you give us a couple of more days? Because we think they're being reasonable,'" Trump recounted.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Gulf officials from some of the countries mentioned by Trump said they were not aware of any imminent plan to attack Iran. Trump himself acknowledged, "I didn't tell them."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was campaigning in Kentucky against Rep. Thomas Massie on Monday as these developments unfolded. The president indicated that Iran has a limited window, possibly two or three days or until Sunday or early next week, to come to the table.
"A limited period of time, because we can't let them have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. The conflict, which began on Feb. 28, has now stretched well beyond the administration's initial four-to-six-week timeline and remains locked in an uneasy stalemate over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Recent polling shows growing public discontent with the handling of the war. A New York Times-Siena poll released Monday found that just 31 percent of registered U.S. voters approve of Trump's approach to the Iran conflict, while 65 percent disapprove, with most of those expressing strong disapproval.
Trump pushed back on the unpopularity narrative, arguing that support increases once people understand the stakes. "Everyone tells me it's unpopular, but I think it's very popular when they hear that it's having to do with nuclear weapons, weapons that could take out Los Angeles, could take out major cities," he said.
The president emphasized that explaining the goals takes time he does not always have. "When we explain it to people — I don't really have enough time to explain to people, I'm too busy getting it done. When they understand, I think it's frankly very popular," Trump stated. "But whether it's popular or not popular, I have to do it."
The shaky ceasefire remains nominally in place even as both sides continue to maneuver for strategic advantage in the vital oil-shipping corridor. Trump has issued repeated threats of further action only to extend deadlines he previously set.
Officials have not confirmed whether additional diplomatic outreach is underway or if military preparations continue behind the scenes. The coming days will determine whether the latest pause leads to renewed talks or another escalation in the prolonged conflict.