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Trump reveals US planned 'biggest attack since World War II' against Iran, but called it off | Here's why
He added that the US decided to halt its attacks after Gulf nations and Iran called on Washington to stop its attacks in order to reach a deal.
Days after the United States announced it would halt strikes against Iran, President Donald Trump stated that the country had planned a “massive attack” against the Islamic Republic. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the US president added that if carried out, the US's attack would have been the “biggest since World War II.”
"It was going to be a massive attack. It was going to be an attack that would have been by far the biggest attack since World War II," Trump told reporters.
He added that the US decided to halt its attacks after Gulf nations and Iran called on Washington to stop its attacks in order to reach a deal.
"I was asked to by Saudi Arabia, by UAE, and by Qatar, and by Iran. We were all set to go, just about at this time right now, and it would've been a massive attack... The reason they asked [to call it off] is they think there's a deal. There's a deal on Hormuz and then there will be a deal on the denuclearization of Iran," Trump said further.
However, the US president added that he will "see" where the negotiations go, and the US is "holding off" on the attack for the time being.
The US President also said that he would prefer to reach a deal with Iran, adding that he is not "looking to kill people."
A recap of US attacks during WW2
During the Second World War, the US carried out at least three massive attacks. The first was in June 1994 under 'Operation Overlord,' where US, British and Canadian forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in France.
The second key attack was the bombing of Tokyo in March 1945, which killed around 90,000 to 100,000 people, marking the deadliest air raid of the war.
And the most devastating was the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and August 11, 1945, respectively. The US deployed atomic bombs called 'Little Boy' and 'Fat Man' on the Japanese towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which resulted in the immediate loss of tens of thousands of people.
US calls off strikes on Iran
Donald Trump announced on Saturday night that the US will be holding off and halting its strikes on Iran. The US president stated that he was told a deal is in the works; however, he added that the deal's parameters must include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's denuclearisation.
Also Read | Open Hormuz Strait, end nuclear threat: Trump lays out ‘parameters’ for Iran deal
"This would include the Immediate, Complete, and Total OPENING OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT, and an end to Iran’s nuclear threat. Based on this request, I have agreed, for the future benefit of the WORLD and, likewise, the survival of a successful and prosperous Iran, to cancel the attack, subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
