Newsmax: President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was “an hour away” from ordering a military attack on Iran before agreeing to Gulf allies’ request to allow negotiations ⁠to continue.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump said U.S. military forces were fully prepared to launch strikes against Iran before Middle Eastern allies urged him to temporarily delay action.

“We were all set to go,” Trump said. “The boats, the ships are all loaded. They’re loaded to the brim.”

Trump said Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and other regional partners contacted him directly after learning military action was imminent.

“They said, ‘Sir, could you wait? We think we’re close to a deal,'” Trump said.

The president stressed, however, that the delay would be brief and warned Iran remains an existential threat if allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

“We can’t let them have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “If they had a nuclear weapon, they would start with Israel. They would blow it up fast.”

During a news conference televised live by Newsmax and initially focused on construction of the new White House ballroom, Trump warned that Iran would likely target Gulf states and potentially trigger what he described as a “nuclear holocaust.”

“There’s no question in my mind that they’d use it,” Trump said of Iran’s leadership. “These are people that are seriously radicalized.”

The president also said that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him Beijing is not supplying weapons to Tehran despite growing regional tensions.

“President Xi promised me he is not sending any weapons to Iran,” Trump said. “I take him at his word.”

Trump added that Iran has used the Strait of Hormuz “as a military weapon for 47 years” and vowed the United States would ensure global shipping lanes remain open.

The comments come as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate following months of stalled diplomacy and growing concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Trump defended his first-term decision to withdraw from former President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement, arguing that it prevented Tehran from rapidly expanding its nuclear capabilities.

“Had I not terminated Barack Hussein Obama’s Iran nuclear deal,” Trump said, “that can’t happen.”

The president insisted that any short-term economic disruptions tied to confronting Iran are worth preventing a nuclear catastrophe.

“I’m not going to let the world be blown up on my watch,” Trump said.

Trump also dismissed criticism from some Democrats and Republicans who oppose potential military action, arguing that most Americans understand the stakes.

“When I’m with people and they say, ‘Is it OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?’ everybody says no,” Trump said. “Then we have nothing further to discuss.”

The president repeatedly emphasized that Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon,” adding that the issue would be resolved “very soon” either through diplomacy or military force.

“One way or the other,” Trump said, “it’s not going to happen.”