Media: Trump puts Iran strikes on hold after “Hajj warning”

US President Donald Trump postponed a planned strike on Iran this week after being advised by Gulf partners and senior officials not to resume hostilities during the Hajj pilgrimage, according to an exclusive report by Middle East Eye.

Two senior Gulf officials told the outlet that Trump was cautioned that any military action during Hajj could trigger a regional crisis, potentially stranding hundreds of thousands of pilgrims across affected areas.

The sources further stated that advisers warned that launching an attack during the sacred period leading into Eid al-Adha would significantly undermine Washington’s reputation across the Muslim world.

A senior US official familiar with internal discussions confirmed that such warnings were indeed conveyed within the administration.

They added that Trump was explicitly advised by officials that restarting a US-Israeli conflict at this stage could result in substantial reputational and diplomatic damage.

The US had previously carried out strikes on Iran during Ramadan, but officials noted that operations during the Hajj season would create far greater logistical strain for Saudi Arabia, which hosts roughly a million foreign pilgrims annually.

Those disruptions would also extend to regional aviation hubs in Qatar and the UAE, as well as to South and East Asian countries from which many pilgrims travel.

This year’s Hajj is scheduled to begin on May 24 and last six days, with large numbers of pilgrims already arriving in Saudi Arabia ahead of the pilgrimage period.

By Jeyhun Aghazada