President Donald Trump said he called off a strike on Iran planned for Tuesday after an appeal by the leaders of Persian Gulf allies, who called for more time to pursue a diplomatic resolution. “I put it off for a little while, hopefully maybe forever, but possibly for a little while, because we’ve had very big discussions with Iran, and we’ll see what they amount to,” Trump said at a White House event on Monday evening, hours after his announcement in a social media post. “I was asked by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, and some others if we could put it off for two or three days, a short period of time, because they think that they are getting very close to making a deal,” Trump added. “If we can do that, where there’s no nuclear weapon going into the hands of Iran, I think, and if they’re satisfied, we will be probably satisfied also.” The president has repeatedly threatened renewed military action against Iran without following through. There was no immediate confirmation from Tehran of renewed talks. Trump said the US was prepared to attack if an acceptable deal wasn’t reached but didn’t set a deadline. His comments were the latest indication of the bind he’s in with the war, where Tehran has taken a hard line in the absence of credible threats of renewed attacks by the US. Yet escalation would bring further increases in oil prices, something the White House has so far been unwilling to risk. Oil and stocks whipsawed as traders parsed mixed signals about prospects for an accord to end the war and revive energy flows through the key Strait of Hormuz. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 1.4% while the S&P 500 nearly wiped out its losses in a choppy session after Trump’s remarks. With crucial oil exports from the Persian Gulf all but cut off amid the war, Trump has been pushing Iran to make a deal or face a resumption of strikes.