Trump says he called off new Iran attack at request of Gulf states

US President Donald Trump has said he is holding off a military attack on Iran planned for Tuesday at the request of Gulf states as "serious negotiations are now taking place".

In a post on Truth Social, he said he had been asked to do so by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, reports BBC.

He said he had been informed a deal would be made that is "very acceptable" to the US, adding there would be "NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!"

But he warned the US would be ready to "go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment's notice" if there was no acceptable deal.

A senior Iranian military commander told the US not to make "strategic mistakes and miscalculations again".

Trump's latest announcement on Iran comes amid a drop in his approval rating and as polls show the war is increasingly unpopular at home.

Some 64% of voters believe it was the wrong decision to go to war with Iran, according to a New York Times/Siena poll published on Monday.

The survey also found that just 37% of voters approve of Trump's job performance as president. The polling underscores the challenge Republicans face in the midterm elections, in a moment of growing public frustration with the war and Trump's handling of the economy and immigration, among other issues.

Israeli and US forces began massive air strikes on Iran on 28 February, while Tehran retaliated by firing drones and missiles at Israel and US targets in countries across the Gulf.

A major factor at play here is the fear Gulf Arab states have over how Iran is likely to retaliate after any further attacks by the US.

Iran is known to retain a significant number of drones and missiles with which it could resume its full-scale attacks on neighbouring states, their airports, petrochemical facilities and even the crucial desalination plants that provide drinking water as summer temperatures in the Gulf build up.

Talking to reporters later, Trump called it "a very positive development, but we'll see whether or not it amounts to anything".

He said: "We've had periods of time where we had, we thought, pretty much getting close to making a deal, and it didn't work out. But this is a little bit different."

Trump said there seemed to be "a very good chance" of an agreement with Iran, adding: "If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy."

A ceasefire agreed in April meant to facilitate talks has largely been observed despite occasional exchanges of fire.