Trump Says Gulf Allies Asked Him to Hold Off on Iran Strikes, Repeats Threat Over the Pickaxe Mountain Site and Moves Vance to Domestic Issues

In a podcast interview with "Street Shooter", published on the night of Thursday 12 November 2026 (21 Aban 1405) US time, President Donald Trump said he could end the war immediately but is pursuing it "a little longer and more gently" at the request of the countries he wants to protect. He named Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain as preferring that the current waiting period continue, and added that he is not sure he agrees with the approach himself. Al Jazeera reported that Trump said he held off on further strikes at the request of Gulf allies, hours after saying he would not hesitate to launch new ones.

Trump also repeated a threat to bomb the site known as "Pickaxe Mountain" if there is activity there, said his focus is on reaching a deal, and claimed that more oil now leaves through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war. That claim has not been independently confirmed in the reports read for this item.

Earlier the same day Trump wrote on Truth Social that "we don't need a deal with Iran" and asked Vice President JD Vance to turn his attention to corruption and crime in Democratic-run cities and states. Khabar Online described this as dropping the track Vance had pursued to reopen negotiations. The outlet also wrote that Mohsen Rezaei has called reports of talks or a possible meeting in Qatar "lies" and said Iran is not currently negotiating with the United States.