The China Mail - Iran warns against new US attacks as Trump says held off assault

The warning came with a shaky ceasefire in place since April 8 and after Washington and Tehran exchanged talks proposals through intermediaries in an effort to end the Middle East war, which began with US strikes on February 28.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Gulf leaders had asked him "to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place".

But Trump added he had instructed the US military to be "prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran, on a moment's notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached".

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on X that Trump's comments meant the US leader was "calling a 'threat' a 'chance for peace'!"

On Tuesday, Iran's army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia earlier warned the Islamic republic would "open new fronts against" the United States if it resumes attacks.

He added that Iran's military had used the ceasefire as an opportunity "to strengthen its combat capabilities", without elaborating.

After the threat, the United Arab Emirates said a drone attack on its Barakah nuclear power plant on Sunday had originated from Iraqi territory, where Iran backs groups accused of launching attacks on Gulf nations in the Middle East war.

"As part of the ongoing investigation into the blatant attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant on May 17, 2026, technical tracking and monitoring confirmed that the three drones... all originated from Iraqi territory," the Emirati defence ministry said.

A top Emirati official had already suggested Iran or one of its regional proxies was to blame.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told reporters that "more time" was needed for the ongoing Pakistani-mediated efforts to push for Iran-US talks to reach a deal to end the war.

- Cable permits -

Since the ceasefire took hold on April 8, Tehran and Washington have held a single round of talks, which failed to culminate in a deal.

All the while, Iran has maintained a tight grip over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy conduit, while the United States has imposed its own naval blockade on Iranian ports.

According to Iran's ISNA news agency, military spokesman Akraminia reiterated that Iran would continue to manage the strait, saying that the US has little option but to "respect the Iranian nation and observe the legitimate rights of the Islamic republic."

On Monday, Iran officially announced the formation of the Persian Gulf Strait Authority to manage traffic through the strait which it said should be within the boundaries communicated by the Iranian armed forces.

The Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran's military, also threatened to put the internet fibre optic cables passing through the waterway under a system of permits.

"Following the imposition of control over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, citing its absolute sovereignty over the bed and subsoil of its territorial sea... could declare that all fibre-optic cables passing through the waterway are subject to permits," the Guards said in a social media post.

- 'Excessive' conditions -

At the same time, Iran's foreign ministry said it has responded to the latest US proposal which Iranian media had described as "excessive" and offering "no tangible concessions".

On Sunday, Iran's Fars news agency said Washington had presented a five-point list, which included a demand for Iran to keep only one nuclear site in operation and transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to the United States.

The US had refused to release "even 25 percent" of Iran's assets frozen abroad or pay any reparations for war damage, Fars added.

The report said the US had also made clear it would only cease hostilities when Tehran engages in formal peace negotiations.

Iran however has said it insists on its own demands, including the release of the frozen assets, the lifting of long-standing sanctions on the country and war reparations.

But later, the Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed source close to the Iranian negotiating team, said the United States made one new step forward in the latest text by agreeing to waive oil sanctions while negotiations were underway.

A.Zhang--ThChM