Donald Trump has called off planned military strikes on Iran, claiming a breakthrough peace agreement could be signed within days and pave the way for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on Truth Social, the US President said he had cancelled scheduled attacks after negotiations with Iran reached the highest levels of Iran’s leadership and received approval from all parties involved.
“Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” Mr Trump wrote.
He said discussions had been approved “in both concept and great detail” by a broad coalition of regional nations, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt.
The announcement marks a dramatic shift after weeks of escalating military action between the United States and Iran, including a second consecutive night of US strikes earlier this week and repeated threats from Mr Trump that Tehran would be hit harder if it failed to agree to a deal.
Speaking at the White House earlier, Mr Trump said the two sides could sign a formal agreement as soon as this weekend.
“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” he said.
“The Strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe.”
Vice President JD Vance could sign the agreement on behalf of the United States, Mr Trump said, adding he understood Iran’s leadership had also approved the framework.
The President described the arrangement as “a very strong memorandum of understanding”, although he acknowledged parts of the agreement remained conceptual and further details still needed to be finalised.
Three Iranian sources told Reuters a political understanding had been reached, although key issues remained unresolved, including the release of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian oil revenues and longer-term questions surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.
CENTCOM separately declared the Strait of Hormuz remained open to commercial traffic, announcing that secure transit pathways had been established for vessels using the strategic waterway. The US military said it remained prepared to defend shipping and respond to any Iranian aggression while maintaining its blockade on Iranian ports.
The proposed agreement would represent the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since fighting erupted three months ago, a conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and sent global energy markets into turmoil.
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