Iranian officials said Friday that they were warned by President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE to expect an imminent attack shortly before the U.S. ordered forces preparing a tactical strike on the country to stand down.

Officials speaking under the promise of anonymity told Reuters on Friday that the Trump administration informed them of the attack a "short period" before they were set to occur, only to watch as U.S. forces were called off moments later.

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“In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues,” one Iranian official told Reuters.

“He gave a short period of time to get our response but Iran’s immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader Khamenei to decide about this issue,” the official added.

A second official told Reuters that Iran had made it clear that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader, was currently against the prospect of negotiations but that his message would be delivered to Iran's leadership nonetheless.

"We made it clear that the leader is against any talks, but the message will be conveyed to him to make a decision," the second official told the news service.

“However, we told the Omani official that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences,” they continued.

The New York Times reported late Thursday that the president had ordered a tactical strike on Iranian forces, only to call off the U.S. forces at the last second. It was reportedly unclear whether Trump himself had made the call, or whether the U.S. had shifted strategy.

Reports of the sudden withdrawal were derided by Democrats, who urged caution and restraint with the country and called for Trump to avoid war with Iran.

"Deeply concerned that @realDonaldTrump has no idea what he is doing, especially in foreign policy," Rep. Ted Lieu Ted W. LieuThe spin on Woodward's tapes reveals the hypocrisy of Democrats Larry Kudlow defends response to coronavirus: Trump 'led wisely' Lieu on Trump 'playing it down' on coronavirus: 'This is reckless homicide' MORE (D-Calif.) wrote, adding: "Also very troubled we are reading about these high level US decisions about Iran in the media. The national security leaks from the Trump Administration are mind boggling."