RT.com
23 May 2026, 05:30 GMT+10
The US president said he must remain at the White House due to "circumstances pertaining to Government"
US President Donald Trump has abruptly canceled plans to attend his son Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding this weekend, saying he must remain in Washington due to unspecified "circumstances pertaining to government."
The Trump administration was preparing for a fresh round of military strikes against Iran, but no final decision had been made, CBS News reported on Friday, citing sources with direct knowledge of the planning.
Axios reported that Trump convened his senior national security team on Friday morning to discuss Iran, including the state of negotiations and possible scenarios if talks collapse. Vice President J.D. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, and other officials reportedly attended the meeting.
"I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time," Trump wrote in a cryptic message on Truth Social.
Trump had hinted at the reason on Thursday, telling reporters that the wedding was "not good timing" because of "a thing called Iran and other things."
The White House has changed Trump's weekend schedule as Washington awaits Tehran's response to what CBS described as the "final" US proposal to end the nearly three-month war. The offer was reportedly transmitted to Iran on Wednesday with a warning that rejecting it would mean the resumption of strikes.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said before flying to India that the US expected to receive Iran's response through Pakistan, which has acted as an intermediary. Axios reported that Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir traveled to Tehran on Friday, while a Qatari delegation also arrived to support the mediation effort.
Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the negotiations in recent days and, according to Axios, has raised the possibility of a final "decisive" major military operation, after which he could declare victory and end the war.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned this week that any renewed US or Israeli attacks could widen the conflict beyond the Middle East, promising "crushing blows" in places Washington and West Jerusalem "cannot even imagine."
Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that talks were ongoing but that a deal was not close. A source close to Tehran's negotiating team told Tasnim that the current focus remained on ending the war and that no other issue would be negotiated until that was achieved.
Get a daily dose of Russia Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Russia Herald.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - Global stock markets ended the trading week on a largely positive note Friday, with major indices in the U.S.,...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. manufacturing activity accelerated in May to its strongest level in four years as companies increased inventories...
LONDON, U.K.: Artificial intelligence is transforming workplaces around the world, but many young people entering the job market are...
MADRID, Spain: Police in northeastern Spain arrested the son of Isak Andic, the billionaire founder of Mango, on May 19. He is suspected...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks finished Thursday's trading session in positive territory, led by the Dow Jones Industrial Average,...
TOKYO, Japan - Asian stock markets ended Thursday with starkly contrasting performances, as South Korea's KOSPI index posted a staggering...
Washington DC [US], May 23 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) shared a bizarre image of himself overlooking Greenland...
Washington DC [US], May 23 (ANI): US President Donald Trump's administration on Friday (local time) was preparing for a fresh round...
Washington DC [US], May 23 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) shared a bizarre image of himself overlooking Greenland...
The US president said he must remain at the White House due to circumstances pertaining to Government US President Donald Trump has...
The US president said he must remain at the White House due to circumstances pertaining to Government ...
Yerevan [Armenia], May 23 (ANI): The resignation of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) saw reactions from several...
