US President Donald Trump has ruled out an immediate attack on Iran, saying on Sunday: “There will not be a strike today.” His remark came after he had suggested that Washington might have to “finish the job” militarily or reach an agreement with Tehran. Qatari mediators were in Tehran as part of efforts to reduce tensions, according to officials familiar with the discussions, reported by Al Jazeera News.
The shift in tone offered a brief pause in a crisis that has kept the region on edge. Trump’s earlier comments had raised fears of fresh American strikes, even as he left open the possibility of what he called a “big, beautiful” deal with Iran.
Iranian leaders responded with defiance but also signalled interest in diplomacy. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the United States had entered a “quagmire” because of its own miscalculations in launching the war, and that Washington must now take the steps needed to extricate itself.
President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed the US for derailing earlier negotiations, calling the Americans “cowards” who “messed everything up” when the war began. Yet he said Tehran should still work towards concluding a peace agreement, leaving a narrow opening for renewed talks.
Meanwhile, the conflict’s regional fallout continued. The Saudi-led coalition said its air defences intercepted and destroyed Houthi ballistic missiles and drones fired towards Saudi cities, including Riyadh and Khamis Mushait. The Iran aligned Houthi group claimed attacks on airports and energy facilities, and warned travellers to avoid airports, which it described as “military targets”.
The developments underline how quickly diplomacy and danger now alternate across the Middle East: one day a strike appears imminent, the next mediators arrive in Tehran, while missiles and drones continue to test the region’s fragile security.
