World · Middle East · 6 hrs ago
Trump says Gulf allies want the Iran war left as it is for now
US President Donald Trump says Gulf allies asked him to pause further attacks on Iran.
He named Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as countries that prefer the conflict to remain as it is for now.
The war has lasted nine months, and Qatar-mediated negotiations are stalled.
Trump says the US is keeping economic pressure on Iran and has not ruled out military action, though he described an attack as unlikely for now.
Iran continues to restrict access through the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting trade and contributing to economic strain across Gulf states.
The US is helping some oil tankers pass, while both sides have also carried out occasional strikes.
The risk of escalation remains as the US sends another aircraft carrier to the region and Iran continues to develop military capabilities.
Donald Trump said Gulf countries asked him to hold off on further attacks against Iran.
He named Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as countries that preferred a pause.
Trump said the countries wanted the situation to remain as it was for a while because they were vulnerable to a wider conflict.
He said the United States was refraining from tougher measures at their request.
His remarks came after he had said he would not hesitate to launch new strikes against Iran.
- Who
- US President Donald Trump said Gulf countries had asked him to pause further attacks on Iran.
- What
- Trump said the United States was holding off on tougher measures and further strikes.
- When
- November 13, 2026.
- Where
- Trump made the remarks in an interview with Stephen A. Smith; Al Jazeera also reported comments at the White House.
- Why
- Trump said Gulf countries wanted him to wait because they were vulnerable to a flare-up in the war.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Trump said in an interview that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries had asked him to hold off on further attacks against Iran.
Al Jazeera reported that Trump’s remarks came hours after he said he would not hesitate to launch new strikes against Tehran.
- Countries named
- Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates
- Speaker
- US President Donald Trump
- Interview host
- Stephen A. Smith
- Reported date
- November 13, 2026
4 sources
What people are saying
Saudi Arabia has asked me to please just let it be the way it is now for a while because they're disintegrating
At the request of the nations that I'm looking to protect, we are doing it a little bit longer way, a little bit more civilly.
Qatar, if you look at that, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, all of them would much prefer the waiting period