President Donald Trump said Sunday he believes the United States is close to reaching agreements with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program, while announcing that fresh negotiations with Tehran are scheduled to begin Monday afternoon.
Trump said diplomacy had gained momentum after what he described as a planned large-scale US military strike was called off.
“The deal is imminent, having to do with the Hormuz Strait and also, ultimately, the denuclearization of Iran,” Trump said, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.
He also suggested there were competing factions within Iran’s leadership over whether to move forward with an agreement.
.@POTUS on Iran: “Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon — and we’ll see.” https://t.co/jrvoju7nG6 pic.twitter.com/B7bmK3brYC
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 2, 2026
“When I hear that, I say, ‘Well, we want to go and do this.’ There is a group of people that would like to just do it. And there’s another group of people that does not want me to do it.”
Trump said a new round of negotiations with Iran would begin Monday.
“They knew the extent of the attack because they saw it forming,” he said. “We’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon.”
Earlier in the day, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iran and several US allies in the Middle East had asked Washington to delay military action because the broad outlines—or “perimeters”—of an agreement had already been reached.
.@POTUS: “I was asked to by Saudi Arabia, by UAE, and by Qatar, and by Iran. We were all set to go, just about at this time right now, and it would’ve been a massive attack… The reason they asked [to call it off] is they think there’s a deal. There’s a deal on Hormuz and then… https://t.co/VlwtUEB3LR pic.twitter.com/uNNQqCya5n
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 2, 2026
Asked whether he had set a deadline for negotiations, Trump said no timetable had been established.
“We’ll just see how it is. We’re ready to go anytime we want… I’m not looking to kill people.”
Trump said he decided against carrying out the planned strike after appeals from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran to give diplomacy another chance.
Iranian, Saudi foreign ministers discuss regional developmentshttps://t.co/AdbWdKFAJl pic.twitter.com/OZPZLdJvyz
— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) August 2, 2026
“I was asked by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and by Iran. We were all set to go. Just about at this time. Right now,” he said.
“The reason they asked is they think there’s a deal.”
“They said we’d like to make a deal now. You know, I don’t know what they say because a lot of times they’ll say that for me.”
“Obviously they don’t want to be attacked,” Trump added, reiterating that the United States was “talking to them” and that negotiations would begin “tomorrow afternoon.”
Trump said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, along with leaders in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, favored pursuing diplomacy rather than military action.
“We were all set to go,” Trump said. “The reason they asked is [that] they think there’s a deal. There’s a deal on Hormuz, and there will be a deal on the nuclear.”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US President Donald Trump discuss the need for dialogue and de-escalation amid tensions involving the US and Iran.
Al Jazeera speaks to analysts from Doha and Riyadh. pic.twitter.com/oR6V8hR43t
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 2, 2026
Quoting what he said was the Saudi position, Trump added: “We would much prefer a deal as opposed to an attack because you don’t know where these attacks lead.”
He said the crown prince feared a wider regional fallout.
“I mean, will they be flooded with people pouring into their country?” Trump said. “A disaster. There are a lot of bad things that can happen.”
“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II. Despite this, we have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that… pic.twitter.com/Ylmlm06j3E
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 2, 2026
Trump also described the aborted military operation as unprecedented in scale.
“It would be the biggest attack since World War II,” he said, adding, “It would have been disastrous for them.”
Iran has not publicly responded to Trump’s latest remarks or confirmed that talks will resume Monday. Trump has repeatedly predicted that a negotiated settlement is within reach, although previous diplomatic efforts have been followed by renewed exchanges of military strikes.
Iftikhar Ali is a veteran Pakistani journalist, former president of UN Correspondents Association, and a recipient of the Pride of Performance civil award
