Donald Trump says US was an hour away from striking Iran, action paused after allies’ appeal

US President Donald Trump said the United States was close to launching military action against Iran before regional allies requested more time for diplomatic negotiations with TehranSpeaking to reporters during a visit to the construction site of a new White House ballroom and security complex Trump said the US military was fully prepared for an operation before Gulf nations urged Washington to delay any immediate actionldquoI was an hour away from making the decision to go todayrdquo Trump said ldquoWe were all set to go The boats the ships are all loaded theyrsquore loaded to the brim and wersquore all set to startrdquoAccording to Trump regional leaders later contacted him and said they believed Iran was engaging constructively in negotiations and deserved additional time for diplomacyldquoThey called up they had heard I made the decision they said sir could you give us a couple more days because we think theyrsquore being reasonablerdquo he saidTrump says diplomatic window will remain limitedThe US president indicated that the administration was willing to briefly extend talks but warned that the opportunity for diplomacy would not remain open indefinitelyldquoWell Irsquom saying two or three days maybe Friday Saturday Sunday maybe early next week A limited period of time Because we canrsquot let them have a nuclear weaponrdquo Trump saidTrump once again argued that Iran obtaining nuclear weapons would pose a major threat to the Middle East and global security He claimed Tehran would target several countries in the region if it acquired nuclear capabilityldquoIf they had a nuclear weapon they would start with Israelrdquo Trump said ldquoTheyrsquod go after Saudi Arabia theyrsquod go after Kuwait theyrsquod go after UAE theyrsquod go after QatarrdquoHe further described the possibility as a pathway toward ldquonuclear holocaustrdquo and said he believed Iran would use such weapons if it acquired themTrump claims Iranrsquos military strength has weakenedDuring the interaction with reporters Trump also claimed that Iranrsquos military infrastructure had suffered significant lossesldquoTheir missiles are 82 per cent gone we estimaterdquo he said ldquoTheir Navy is completely gone their Air Force is completely gonerdquoThe US president did not provide specific details or evidence to support the assessment but the comments reflected the administrationrsquos continued pressure campaign against TehranTrump also said Chinese President Xi Jinping had assured him that Beijing was not supplying weapons to IranldquoPresident Xi has promised me that hersquos not sending any weapons to Iranrdquo Trump said ldquoThatrsquos a beautiful promise I take him at his wordrdquoGulf nations coordinating with Washington over Iran talksTrump said several Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia Qatar the United Arab Emirates Kuwait and Bahrain were working closely with Washington during the negotiations involving IranldquoWe are negotiating togetherrdquo Trump said adding that Israel had remained a key partner during the ongoing discussions and security coordinationThe remarks indicate continued diplomatic and strategic coordination between the United States Gulf allies and Israel amid concerns over Iranrsquos nuclear ambitions and regional activitiesTrump dismisses criticism over hardline Iran policyTrump also criticised opposition Democrats who have questioned his approach toward Iran accusing them of weakening the US negotiating positionldquoIrsquom in the middle of a negotiation Irsquom saying you cannot have a nuclear weaponrdquo he saidWhen asked whether possible military action against Iran could carry political risks Trump dismissed the concern and said national security considerations were more important than public opinionldquoWhether itrsquos popular or not popular I have to do it because Irsquom not going to let the world be blown up on my watchrdquo Trump saidThe remarks marked one of the clearest public indications yet that direct US military action against Iran had been under active consideration before diplomatic efforts temporarily delayed any decisionWith inputs from IANS