Trump says he could attack Iran 'when we want' but prefers not to kill people, announces negotiations

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that negotiations with Iran would commence on August 3, following his decision to halt a potentially "powerful" strike against the country. Trump stated that the U.S. could attack Iran "when we want" but expressed a preference for avoiding casualties, suggesting a diplomatic resolution was possible.

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Everything was ready to go, and then they asked, for what would have been a tremendous strike.

Trump revealed that the attack was suspended after requests from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Iran itself. He indicated that these nations believed a deal was imminent, potentially concerning the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program. "We are holding it. We'll see. We can do it when we want," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, returning from New Jersey.

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The reason they asked was that they thought there was a deal. There is a deal on the Strait of Hormuz, and then there will be a deal regarding denuclearization of Iran. So we are holding it. We'll see. We can do it when we want.

Iranian state media, however, denied that Tehran had requested the U.S. to call off the attack. Trump acknowledged that he had not set a deadline for Iran to reach an agreement but reiterated his desire to avoid conflict. "I don't want to kill people," he emphasized, noting that talks were underway.

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We are talking to them in the form of negotiations. They are starting Monday afternoon.

Reports suggest that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman played a role in persuading Trump to delay the strike. Axios reported that the Prince feared a U.S. attack could provoke Iranian retaliation against Saudi oil infrastructure and other Gulf states. Following Trump's announcement of negotiations, oil prices saw a decline in early Asian trading.

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I don't want to kill people.