President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled an upcoming round of US military strikes against Iran, saying talks with the Islamic Republic “were brought to the highest level of the Iranian leadership and were approved.”
The announcement on Truth Social was a surprising change from hours before, when Trump warned that the US would hit Iran “very hard tonight” and soon seize Iran’s oil infrastructure, including the island of Kharg.
“The negotiations and final points have been approved by all parties involved,” including Israel and nine other regional powers, Trump said in a recent post.
But Trump – who has said for months that a peace deal with Iran is close, with no one yet to appear – reiterated that the proposed deal is still in place, leaving it unclear whether there is an actual deal for the warring nations to review.
The US Naval Blockade on Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman “will remain in full effect until this Transaction is completed,” Trump wrote.
Stock indexes however rose, and oil prices fell, shortly after Trump’s announcement, following a pattern of trading on the president’s claims that have been repeated many times since the war began on February 28. Trump has said more than 30 times that an agreement to end the war was close.
“Based on the fact that the negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran were brought to the highest level of the Iranian leadership and approved, I have, as the President of the United States of America, canceled the planned strikes and bombings against Iran this evening. The negotiations and the final points have been, both conceptually and in great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UAE, Baqatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Baqatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Batar, Turkey, Kuwait, Baqatar, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt and others. The embargo will remain in full force until this operation is completed – The time and place of signing will be announced soon.”
The president’s latest sign of an impending deal came as the US-Iran war appears to be returning to full-blown conflict, further undermining the ceasefire agreement and seemingly blocking any chance of a quick peace.
“The US will be hitting Iran (Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti Aircraft, and all other forms of defense, as well as most of its offensive capabilities, OUT!), VERY HARD OVERNIGHT,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Thursday morning.
“In the not too distant future, we will be taking over Kharg Island, other oil infrastructure areas, and completely controlling their oil and gas markets,” he wrote.
That threat followed two days of US strikes, which began after Trump accused Iran of shooting down a US Navy helicopter as it patrolled the Strait of Hormuz on Monday evening.
The US launched retaliatory strikes on Tuesday, prompting a military response from Iran. The US fired more missiles on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported Thursday that Elon Musk’s Middle East companies, including SpaceX’s Starlink internet service, would be considered military targets.
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