Iranian officials deny Trump's claims that Iran, Gulf leaders asked Iran to halt strikes - report

Iranian military officials have rejected US President Donald Trump's assertion that Iran had requested the US to cease its recent strikes, according to the IRGC-affiliated Mehr News Agency. The officials dismissed Trump's claims as a "desperate attempt to blackmail Gulf state rulers and pressure them with threats." Mehr cited the officials as stating that Iranian forces are at the highest level of readiness and prepared for any eventuality.

Trump, in a Truth Social post, had called for an immediate deal with Iran, claiming to have halted a large-scale attack against the country. He asserted that the USA 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, Trump claimed that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off any attack, stating that a deal's perimeters had been agreed upon.