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Trump Says US Could Attack Iran Again but That Tehran Wants Deal
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By Reuters
Published 53 minutes ago on
May 19, 2026

An Iranian couple arrive on a military vehicle during a public wedding ceremony called "Sacrificed couple wedding", in Tehran, Iran, May 18, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters

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President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the United States may need to attack Iran again, and he was only an hour away from deciding on a strike before he postponed the attack.

Trump was speaking to reporters at the White House a day after saying he had paused a planned resumption of attacks following a new peace proposal by Tehran.

“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump said on Tuesday.

He also said Iran’s leaders are begging to make a deal, but that a new U.S. attack would happen in the coming days if one was not reached.

“Well, I mean, I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time, because we can’t let them have a new nuclear weapon.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian state media said Tehran’s latest peace proposal involves ending hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon, the exit of U.S. forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for destruction caused by the U.S.-Israeli war.

In Tehran’s first comments on the proposal, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran also sought the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen funds and an end to the U.S. marine blockade on the country, according to IRNA news agency.

The terms as described in the Iranian reports appeared little changed from Iran’s previous offer, which Trump rejected last week as “garbage”.

Reuters could not determine whether preparations had been made for strikes that would mark a renewal of the war Trump started in late February.

Under pressure to reach an accord that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz – a key supply route for global supplies of oil and other commodities – Trump has previously expressed hope that a deal was close on ending the conflict, and similarly threatened heavy strikes on Iran if Tehran did not reach a deal.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by William Maclean; Editing by Peter Graff)

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