Trump Says U.S.-Iran War Is “Over” After Canceling Planned Strikes
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States’ conflict with Iran was “over” after he announced that he had canceled additional U.S. military strikes against the Islamic Republic amid negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“I don’t know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today,” Trump said during a tele-rally supporting Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is running for governor.
Trump said Iran had agreed to never develop a nuclear weapon, describing the issue as the central objective of the U.S. campaign.
“They have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon, something that we insisted on; that was the whole purpose. That was 95 percent of it,” he said.
Despite the announcement, Trump said a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would remain in place until a formal agreement was completed. He said representatives from the countries involved could meet in Switzerland to finalize the arrangement, with reports suggesting a signing could take place as soon as Sunday, ahead of the G7 summit.
Israel had not publicly commented as of Friday on the latest draft memorandum of understanding reportedly circulated by Iranian state media. Trump said he had discussed the potential agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other regional leaders.
In a statement posted to Truth Social, Trump said negotiations had reached Iran’s highest levels of leadership and that the proposed terms had received approval from the parties involved. He said he had therefore canceled scheduled U.S. strikes against Iran.
Trump also said the naval blockade would remain in effect until the agreement was formally finalized, with the location and timing of the signing to be announced later.
Netanyahu’s office subsequently confirmed that the Israeli prime minister had spoken with Trump. While Israel was not directly participating in the negotiations, Netanyahu welcomed Trump’s insistence that any final agreement impose significant restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program and address other activities viewed by Israel as destabilizing.
The Strait of Hormuz remained a major factor in the crisis. Roughly one-quarter of the world’s seaborne oil shipments and about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas exports pass through the strategic waterway, making it one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
Financial markets responded positively to signs of a possible diplomatic breakthrough. European stocks rose sharply Friday, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 gaining about 1.8%, while several major indexes advanced roughly 2% during morning trading.
Oil prices also declined as investors assessed the possibility of reduced regional tensions and fewer disruptions to energy supplies. U.S. crude futures for July delivery fell 1.61%, while August Brent crude, the international benchmark, declined 1.75%, according to CNBC.
The diplomatic developments followed a period of renewed U.S. military action against Iran. Earlier in the week, Trump had spoken by telephone with Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst from the White House Situation Room and discussed an impending U.S. operation targeting Iranian military infrastructure.
Following the strikes, Trump warned that Iran could face severe consequences if negotiations failed. In a Truth Social post, he described Iran’s military capabilities as severely damaged and said the country’s leaders would “pay the price” for delaying negotiations.
U.S. Central Command said additional self-defense strikes against multiple targets in Iran began at 5:15 p.m. Eastern Time Thursday at the direction of the president.
Trump’s announcement that the strikes had been canceled marked a significant shift from military escalation toward negotiations, although the proposed agreement remained dependent on the completion and formal signing of the deal.
