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Iran’s army yesterday warned it would “open new fronts” against the United States if it resumes attacks, after President Donald Trump said he had held off launching a new offensive in hopes of striking a deal.

The warning came amid a shaky ceasefire in place since April 8, with Washington and Tehran exchanging proposals in an effort to end the Middle East war, which began on February 28.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Gulf leaders had asked him “to hold off on our planned Military attack of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow, in that serious negotiations are now taking place”.

But Trump added he had instructed the US military 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”.

Yesterday, Iran’s army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia warned “to open new fronts against” the United States if it resumes attacks on the Islamic republic.

He added that Iran’s military had used the ceasefire as an opportunity “to strengthen its combat capabilities”, without elaborating.

Qatar, which suffered Tehran’s retaliatory strikes following US-Israeli assaults during the war, emphasised that more time was needed for the ongoing Pakistani-mediated efforts to push for Iran-US talks.