Updated

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday, 5 August 2026, that Washington had held off on military action against Iran because the "perimeters" of a deal had been agreed and that Tehran and other Middle Eastern governments had asked him to pause any attack. Speaking in Las Vegas, Trump claimed the United States had been preparing what he described as "the biggest attack since World War II" before Iranian officials requested negotiations, adding: "I would rather make a deal with Iran because I don't want to kill people." Trump conditioned the reprieve on an agreement being reached "rapidly", leaving open the possibility of renewed strikes if talks stall. He also said talks with Tehran were already under way. The remarks mark the clearest signal yet that the US is weighing diplomacy over a further round of military escalation following the earlier war with Iran, and they raise the stakes for whatever negotiating track emerges in the coming days.