Trump calls off Iran strikes, citing progress in talks
After warning of imminent military action, US president says an agreement may be days away in a repeat of claims made in recent weeks
“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,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The US leader also said a new deal with Iran could be signed as soon as this weekend, possibly in Europe, after repeatedly suggesting in recent weeks that a breakthrough with Tehran was imminent despite continued fighting and repeated setbacks in diplomatic efforts.
Iranian officials had responded to those threats by warning that a renewed military campaign could trigger a wider regional conflict and further disrupt global energy markets.
“Wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years,” Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s chief negotiator in talks with Washington, said earlier on Thursday.
