US President Donald Trump said he decided to hold off on ordering fresh American strikes against Iran after Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, urged him to give diplomacy more time. Trump said a plan had been in place for what he called "the biggest attack since World War II" on Sunday, but he scrapped it following calls with regional leaders, notably Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and at the request of unnamed Iranian officials. The move marks another reversal from Trump, who a day earlier had warned he was "losing faith" in negotiations and threatened to hit Iran "very hard".

Trump said the emerging deal would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas passed before the five-month-old war began, and would address US concerns over Iran's nuclear programme. However, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson said the strait "will in no way return to the status it was before" the conflict started on 28 February, though talks with Oman about shipping arrangements are ongoing. Trump said he expected negotiations to resume "tomorrow afternoon", while Iran's defence minister said the country remained alert to US threats, amid reported divisions within Iran's leadership over whether to continue negotiating.