Share Story
WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump said he was calling off strikes on Iran on Thursday and flagged the signing of a possible deal with Tehran after top-level talks.
"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... cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening," Trump said on his Truth Social network.
"Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly," added Trump.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump vowed fresh attacks against Iran on Thursday, saying American forces would also soon seize the country's key oil infrastructure after the two sides exchanged strikes overnight.
His threat came after Iran warned the shaky ceasefire in their three-month war was "practically meaningless" following the latest strikes by the United States, which saw Tehran respond with attacks around the region.
The war, which began on February 28 with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, was paused by the April truce, but efforts to hammer out a permanent end to the fighting have stalled and sporadic exchanges of fire have put the ceasefire under repeated strain.
Mediators Pakistan and Qatar suggested backchannel efforts to negotiate an end to the war were ongoing in spite of the flare-up, though Islamabad cautioned it was "hard to be an optimist" in light of the escalation.
The strikes took place while a Qatari delegation was in Tehran for talks, with a diplomatic source saying the discussions lasted into the early hours of the morning and were "conducted in coordination with the United States".
Trump, who has repeatedly maintained negotiations with Tehran were close to a deal, had said on Wednesday that Iran keeps "playing us for suckers" and will now "have to pay the price".
