US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended the ongoing conflict with Iran, claiming that the military action so far has been “very popular,” despite critics saying otherwise.

Trump made the remarks while interacting with reporters at the White House.

“Whether it’s popular or not, I have to do it,” he said, adding that he was acting to prevent the world from being “blown up.”

He also hinted that the US may strike Iran once again, adding that he was only an hour away from deciding on a strike before he postponed the attack, scheduled for Tuesday.

“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump told reporters.

Trump had on Monday said that he had instructed the military to stop the attack on Iran after Iran reportedly sent a new peace proposal to the US. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had requested him to not proceed with the attack in anticipation of a deal.

However, he also instructed them to be “prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault” if a deal is not reached with Iran.

He said Iran’s leaders are begging to make a deal, adding that a new US attack would happen in the coming days if one was not reached.

“Well, I mean, I’m saying two or three days, maybe Friday, Saturday, Sunday, something, maybe early next week, a limited period of time, because we can’t let them have a new nuclear weapon,” he said.

Analysts believe that Trump is seeking to exit the war with a deal which helps him to declare “victory” over Iran without losing face.

The war began on February 28, 2026 when US-Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. However, the core US goal of stopping Iran from having a nuclear weapon remains incomplete.

Under pressure to reach a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump has previously expressed hope that a deal was close on ending the war, and similarly threatened heavy strikes on Iran if Tehran does not reach a deal.

Source: India Today