President Trump cancels scheduled strikes against Iran
President Donald Trump said Thursday he was canceling the strikes against Iran and that the two countries were very close to a peace agreement — one that could be signed as soon as this weekend.
But, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA that reports of a finalized agreement with the US were “merely speculation” and said Tehran had not yet made a final decision on any deal.
Here’s what Trump said today:
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From the Oval Office, Trump trumpeted a “great settlement” that could resolve the war, suggesting it would be finalized in the coming days. He said he anticipated a signing ceremony soon, potentially in Europe, to be attended by Vice President JD Vance.
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The latest military action pushed Tehran to actually agree to a deal this time, Trump said, and that Iran has “taken a pounding like very few people could take, and they want to make a deal a lot more than I do.”
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Trump said it is a “very strong memorandum of understanding,” and called the deal a “little conceptual.” Iran had committed to forego pursing nuclear capabilities, he said, and the US will end its blockade immediately once it’s signed.
What Iran said: Baghaei said “Iran has not reached a final decision regarding any agreement” and that “U.S. actions are affecting the diplomatic process.” Trump, however, suggested Iran’s supreme leader supports the settlement and has agree “conceptually” to allow the US to secure nuclear materials and to top pursing a nuclear weapon.
Who is involved: The United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt as nations involved in the approvals, according to Trump.
What we know about the meetings in Iran: A Qatari delegation had been in Tehran this week for discussions. US officials believe meetings between Iranian and Qatari officials helped resolve some of the remaining sticking points, a person familiar said. Those mediators “hit some breakthroughs,” a source said.
What has the recent timeline looked like: Iran passed along its latest draft of the proposed agreement through Qatari mediators earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. Trump returned a proposed deal with changes nearly two weeks ago, looking to harden some of the language around the nuclear issue.
What the reaction has been: Trump’s post on social media suggesting an imminent agreement surprised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who was in the midst of a security discussion about Iran, according to an Israeli source. Trump later said he spoke to Netanyahu and other Gulf leaders. Meantime, oil prices fell and US stocks moved sharply higher.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, John Towfighi, Tal Shalev, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Aida Karimi, Kit Maher, Donald Judd and Jeremy Diamond contributed reporting to this report, which has been updated with the latest statement from Iran.