Trump calls off Iran strikes, says deal is close
Iran did not immediately respond to his claim that its leadership had approved a deal.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had canceled additional military strikes on Iran hours after threatening them, citing progress on a potential peace deal.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the war-ending agreement "should get done over the next few days," with a signing ceremony in Europe that will be attended by Vice President JD Vance.
In an earlier Truth Social post, Trump said that “discussions and final points” have been approved by all parties, including Israel and several regional countries.
“The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly,” Trump said, adding that the deal was approved by “the highest level of Iranian leadership.”
There was no immediate comment from Iran, though Trump said he believed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the deal.
Trump said he spoke Thursday with regional leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Citing an unnamed Israeli source, CNN reports that Netanyahu was caught off guard by Trump’s Truth Social post announcing an imminent deal with Iran.
Trump vowed Thursday morning that the US military would strike Iran “very hard” for the third straight night following Iranian attacks against Gulf states. He also threatened that the United States would take control of Iran’s Kharg Island oil export hub.
For several months, Trump has claimed that negotiators were close to an interim agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin formal talks on Iran’s nuclear program. A number of sticking points have bogged down the talks, including the potential release of Iran’s frozen assets and sanctions relief.
The second phase of negotiations is expected to cover Iran’s enrichment and stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Trump said Thursday that the two sides had reached a “conceptual” agreement on those issues.
Several of Trump’s Republican allies have cautioned against a deal that grants financial concessions to Iran or resembles the nuclear accord brokered under former President Barack Obama.
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Thursday that he hoped the emerging deal would be “fundamentally different” from the Obama-era one that Trump exited in his first term. He stressed that any agreement involving Tehran’s nuclear program must be submitted to Congress for review as required by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015.
“As in the past, any agreement reached with Iran related to their nuclear program will be presented to Congress for review and approval,” Graham said in an X post. “I look forward to that process.”
This developing story has been updated since initial publication.
