However, no deadline has been set yet for the said talks.
“It was going to be a massive attack. It was going to be an attack that would have been by far the biggest attack since World War II. But they’ve asked us not to do it. They said, ‘Please don’t do it.’ Their neighbours said that too,” Trump told reporters.
Trump confirmed he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Iran had all requested more time for negotiations.
“This is asked by Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Iran… We’re all set to go… It would have been a massive attack. But when the allies ask to throw it off, you’ve got to start saying, let’s see,” he said.
The US president added that he believed diplomacy could produce agreements on both shipping and Iran’s nuclear programme.
“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It will begin tomorrow afternoon… I’d love to do that. Save a lot of lives,” Trump said.The announcement came as Iran signalled progress in parallel talks with Oman.
State news agency IRNA reported that negotiations on a new route through the Strait of Hormuz were nearing completion, although Tehran later said those discussions were separate from any decision on reopening the strategic waterway.
First Published: Aug 3, 2026 7:36 AM IST