US President Donald Trump has said that he has decided to delay plans to resume attacks on Iran at the request of Gulf Arab states.

He wrote on social media on Monday that he had taken the decision because “serious negotiations are now taking place, and that, in their opinion, as great leaders and allies, a deal will be made, which will be very acceptable to the US, as well as all countries in the Middle East, and beyond.”

The far-right president also said he had told military leaders “to be prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable deal is not reached.” 

He has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

In making the announcement, Mr Trump revealed that a decision had been taken to resume the illegal and unprovoked war that the US and Israel unleashed on Iran on February 28.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei repeated Iran’s view that US demands were unrealistic and there remained significant obstacles to reaching a deal.

These include Iran abandoning nuclear enrichment and giving a guarantee that the war will end.

Tehran has also demanded the return of all of its assets, but a source said the US was open to the idea of returning just 25 per cent of Iranian assets.

Iran also wants the US to accept its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, which Washington has refused to do.

The Islamic Republic still has a chokehold on the strait, even as the US military has enforced its own blockade of Iranian ports. 

The consequent wild shifts in the global energy market have raised petrol prices, hurting US consumers and causing potential problems for Mr Trump’s Republican Party in the run-up to crucial mid-term elections in November.