- US Senator Lindsey Graham denied reports that the US won't attack Iran, stating it is "quite the opposite"
- Iran's envoy to Pakistan said Trump assured he will not attack Iran
- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman reportedly convinced Trump to delay military action against Iran
US Senator Lindsey Graham, whom President Donald Trump considers to be a "wonderful friend", has claimed that reports suggesting the US does not intend to attack Iran are "inaccurate" and further said that the situation is quite the opposite. In a cryptic post on X, Graham wrote, "Nothing could be further from the truth. Quite the opposite. Stay tuned."
In a separate post on X, Graham stated that the Iranian government is still killing protesters "in full swing" and added, "Hoping help is on the way."
On Wednesday, Graham, who has become an influential member of the Trump administration on foreign policy, said that he wanted to see Trump move ahead with plans to strike Iran. "We must stop those who are responsible for killing the people by any means necessary ASAP. Make The Iranian People Safe Again," he wrote.
Amid tensions, Graham also met Iran's exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi and wrote on X, "Help is on the way".
Iran's envoy to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, on Thursday stated that Trump has assured Tehran that he won't attack the country and has asked Iran to exercise restraint, Pakistani daily Dawn reported.
A senior Saudi official also told AFP that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman led efforts to talk Trump out of an attack on Iran. The Gulf trio "led a long, frantic, diplomatic last-minute effort to convince President Trump to give Iran a chance to show good intention," the Saudi official said on condition of anonymity.
After threatening Iran with imminent attacks in support of anti-government protests, Trump had indicated that he might hold off on attacking Iran. He said that he was reassured by sources "on the other side" that the Iranian government had stopped the killing of anti-government protesters and planned executions would not go ahead. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office regarding military action, Trump said that he would "watch it" and "see what the process is".
However, Trump has always leaned towards diplomacy before launching a full-scale attack, as seen in the case of the Iran strikes in 2025 and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
