{"id":449179,"date":"2026-05-19T09:49:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/449179\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T09:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:49:10","slug":"middle-east-crisis-live-trump-claims-iran-attack-on-hold-due-to-request-from-gulf-allies-us-israel-war-on-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/449179\/","title":{"rendered":"Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran attack \u2018on hold\u2019 due to request from Gulf allies | US-Israel war on Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Trump claims Iran attack &#8216;on hold&#8217; due to request from Gulf countries<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">We are restarting our live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran and the other conflicts in the Middle East. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Trump<\/a> says he has called off a planned attack on Iran on Tuesday at the request of Gulf states so peace talks could continue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In a post on Truth Social on Monday, the US president said he had been asked to do so by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump said he had been told a deal would be made that is \u201cvery acceptable\u201d to the US, adding there would be \u201cno nuclear weapons for Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He said, however, that he had informed his military leaders \u201cto be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment\u2019s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An Iranian man walk past a picture of supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a street in Tehran.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3753.jpg\" width=\"465\" height=\"285.96322941646685\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"\/>An Iranian man walk past a picture of supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a street in Tehran. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPA<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The announcement came as Iran\u2019s foreign military spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, claimed Pakistan has shared Tehran\u2019s latest proposal with the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch new strikes on Iran, only to retreat at the last minute. The war on Iran is deeply unpopular with the American public and is hitting consumers hard with increased oil and fertiliser costs resulting from the reduced flow of vessels through the critical strait of Hormuz. \u2018<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Negotiations on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme and the strait of Hormuz have reached a deadlock and the US\u2019s blockade of Iranian ports is failing to force Tehran into making painful concessions even though <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/04\/could-irans-escalating-economic-crisis-weaken-negotiating-position-with-us\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Iran is suffering an escalating economic crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump did not say what targets the US had planned to strike on Tuesday, but officials said the military could have targeted Iran\u2019s ballistic missile sites, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/18\/us\/politics\/trump-iran-strikes.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran attack \u2018on hold\u2019 due to request from Gulf allies&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/live\/2026\/may\/19\/us-israel-iran-war-trump-peace-attacks-gulf-allies-strikes-hormuz-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-6a0c03e48f088f0b95c8f552#block-6a0c03e48f088f0b95c8f552\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Key events<\/p>\n<p>Show key events only<\/p>\n<p>Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Caitlin_Cassidy.png\" alt=\"Caitlin Cassidy\" class=\"dcr-lysqes\"\/>Caitlin Cassidy<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Eleven Australians attempting to deliver aid to Gaza as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/gaza-flotilla\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">global flotilla<\/a> have been detained by Israeli forces in international waters off the coast of Cyprus, with the government \u201curgently seeking\u201d confirmation of their welfare.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On Monday local time, the Global Sumud Flotilla alleged the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/israel\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Israel<\/a> Defense Forces (IDF) encircled 38 ships that were part of a fleet of 54 boats which left Turkey last week for the embattled strip, which remains under naval blockade by Israel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The ships, carrying 319 activists from dozens of nations, were about 250 nautical miles from the coast of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/gaza\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gaza<\/a> when they were surrounded, organisers said. Footage showed the Israeli military approaching in speedboats and boarding the vessels in broad daylight.<\/p>\n<p>Sam Woripa Watson and Anny Mokotow who are crew members of the Global Sumud Flotilla Australia en route to Gaza in May 2026. They are among 11 Australians detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Photograph: Global Sumud Flotilla<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Israeli foreign ministry <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/IsraelMFA\/status\/2056413625493971445?s=20\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow\">posted to X<\/a> that activists from what it called the \u201cprovocation flotilla\u201d had been transferred to Israeli vessels, alleging \u201cno aid\u201d had been found on their boats, a claim disputed by the flotilla.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The detained Australians are academics, doctors, students, activists and film-makers who have urged the federal government to protect them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">They include Anny Mokotow, Dr Bianca Pullman-Webb, Neve O\u2019Connor, Violet Coco, Gemma O\u2019Toole, Sam Woripa Watson, Zack Schofield, Helen O\u2019Sullivan, Juliet Lamont, Isla Lamont and Surya McEwan. You can read the full story here:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran attack \u2018on hold\u2019 due to request from Gulf allies&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/live\/2026\/may\/19\/us-israel-iran-war-trump-peace-attacks-gulf-allies-strikes-hormuz-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-6a0c2dd38f088f47e32c50cd#block-6a0c2dd38f088f47e32c50cd\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Updated at\u00a005.45 EDT<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">G7 finance ministers are looking at ways to contain the economic fallout resulting from the war in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Iran<\/a>, which has sent global energy prices soaring and slowed down growth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Finance ministers and central bank governors from G7 countries met in Paris for a second day of talks to discuss responses to the fallout amid continued volatility on global bond markets. Along with rising energy prices, policymakers are also expected to discuss sanctions policy and how to limit the economic impact the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz is having on poorer, import-reliant countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWe agree on the fact that the IMF and the World Bank have to step up their game \u2060for those countries (most vulnerable to the impact of the Middle East conflict) and make sure we help them,\u201d French finance minister Roland Lescure told reporters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, warned last month that the US-Israeli war on Iran will permanently scar the global economy even if a durable peace deal can somehow be reached. You can keep up with the latest business news in our live blog here:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran attack \u2018on hold\u2019 due to request from Gulf allies&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/live\/2026\/may\/19\/us-israel-iran-war-trump-peace-attacks-gulf-allies-strikes-hormuz-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-6a0c25698f088f47e32c5078#block-6a0c25698f088f47e32c5078\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Updated at\u00a005.12 EDT<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Lebanon\u2019s state-run National News Agency (NNA) is reporting that Israeli artillery shelling has resumed in southern Lebanon\u2019s Marjayoun district. We will bring you updates as we get them.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran attack \u2018on hold\u2019 due to request from Gulf allies&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/live\/2026\/may\/19\/us-israel-iran-war-trump-peace-attacks-gulf-allies-strikes-hormuz-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-6a0c1ca88f088f0b95c8f601#block-6a0c1ca88f088f0b95c8f601\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<\/a>Death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon passes 3,000, health officials say<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">As we have been reporting, Tehran wants Washington to pressure Israel into stopping its war on Lebanon as part of a deal to end the US-Israeli war on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/iran\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But the US has so far seemed reluctant to exert any real pressure on Israel to stop its continued attacks on southern Lebanon despite a recently extended ceasefire and with Lebanon and Israel set to resume diplomatic talks at the beginning of June.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Both Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group and political party, have continued with their attacks since the 17 April ceasefire agreement came into effect, accusing each other of violations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">More than one million people have already been displaced by the renewed Israeli war on Lebanon which started when Hezbollah <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/mar\/02\/israel-idf-strikes-hezbollah-beirut-lebanon-iran-war\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">launched missiles at Israel on 2 March <\/a>after the US-Israeli bombing of Iran in late February.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Israeli strikes have now killed more than 3,000 people in Lebanon since 2 March, the health ministry said on Monday. \u201cThe total cumulative toll of the aggression from 2 March to 18 May is now as follows: 3,020 martyrs and 9,273 wounded,\u201d the ministry said, with 211 people aged 18 and under and 116 healthcare workers among the dead.<\/p>\n<p>Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment on the village of Zebdine in the Nabatieh district in southern Lebanon on 18 May 2026. Photograph: Abbas Fakih\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Twenty IDF soldiers and one defence ministry civilian contractor have been killed in southern Lebanon during the fighting, according to officials, with at least four civilians also reported to have been killed.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran attack \u2018on hold\u2019 due to request from Gulf allies&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/live\/2026\/may\/19\/us-israel-iran-war-trump-peace-attacks-gulf-allies-strikes-hormuz-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-6a0c12d08f088f47e32c500d#block-6a0c12d08f088f47e32c500d\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Updated at\u00a004.27 EDT<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Iran\u2019s recent proposal to the US called for the lifting of sanctions on Tehran, the release of frozen Iranian funds and an end to the marine blockade on the country, Iran\u2019s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi was quoted by the IRNA news agency as saying this morning.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The Iranian proposal also includes ending the war on all fronts \u2013 including Israel\u2019s assault on Lebanon &#8211; the withdrawal of US forces from areas close to Iran and war damage compensation costs, Gharibabadi added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The US reportedly saw the updated peace proposal Iran sent on Sunday as insufficient, leading to expectations that the US would resume its attacks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/05\/18\/trump-iran-attack-suspend-nuclear-talks\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">According to the US outlet Axios<\/a>, Donald Trump is due to meet with his top national security team in the Situation Room later today to discuss possible military options.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But speaking at a White House event yesterday, Trump said there had been a \u201cvery positive development\u201d and claimed a deal was near that would leave Iran without nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies pursuing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran attack \u2018on hold\u2019 due to request from Gulf allies&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/live\/2026\/may\/19\/us-israel-iran-war-trump-peace-attacks-gulf-allies-strikes-hormuz-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-6a0c10198f088f47e32c5002#block-6a0c10198f088f47e32c5002\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<\/a>Trump claims Iran attack &#8216;on hold&#8217; due to request from Gulf countries<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">We are restarting our live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran and the other conflicts in the Middle East. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Donald Trump<\/a> says he has called off a planned attack on Iran on Tuesday at the request of Gulf states so peace talks could continue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In a post on Truth Social on Monday, the US president said he had been asked to do so by the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump said he had been told a deal would be made that is \u201cvery acceptable\u201d to the US, adding there would be \u201cno nuclear weapons for Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He said, however, that he had informed his military leaders \u201cto be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment\u2019s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>An Iranian man walk past a picture of supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a street in Tehran. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPA<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The announcement came as Iran\u2019s foreign military spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, claimed Pakistan has shared Tehran\u2019s latest proposal with the US.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump has repeatedly threatened to launch new strikes on Iran, only to retreat at the last minute. The war on Iran is deeply unpopular with the American public and is hitting consumers hard with increased oil and fertiliser costs resulting from the reduced flow of vessels through the critical strait of Hormuz. \u2018<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Negotiations on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme and the strait of Hormuz have reached a deadlock and the US\u2019s blockade of Iranian ports is failing to force Tehran into making painful concessions even though <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/may\/04\/could-irans-escalating-economic-crisis-weaken-negotiating-position-with-us\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Iran is suffering an escalating economic crisis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Trump did not say what targets the US had planned to strike on Tuesday, but officials said the military could have targeted Iran\u2019s ballistic missile sites, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/18\/us\/politics\/trump-iran-strikes.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">according to the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Middle East crisis live: Trump claims Iran attack \u2018on hold\u2019 due to request from Gulf allies&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/live\/2026\/may\/19\/us-israel-iran-war-trump-peace-attacks-gulf-allies-strikes-hormuz-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&amp;page=with%3Ablock-6a0c03e48f088f0b95c8f552#block-6a0c03e48f088f0b95c8f552\" type=\"button\" class=\"dcr-1mulgdf\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Trump claims Iran attack &#8216;on hold&#8217; due to request from Gulf countries We are restarting our live coverage&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":449180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-449179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/449180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}