Trump says he's canceled Iran strikes, adds potential deal-signing 'to be announced shortly'
President Donald Trump on Thursday canceled strikes against Iran, saying a deal with Iran is expected soon, hours after promising to attack the Islamic Republic amid tense negotiations.
"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, canceled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had called off strikes against Iran while a deal is being worked out.
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"Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others," he added.
Trump also wrote that the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz—the vital global shipping route that sees 20 percent of world oil and natural gas pass through—will "remain in full force" until a deal is finalized.
The sudden change came after Trump vowed on Wednesday to initiate a forceful response, accusing Tehran of prolonging nuclear negotiations and targeting a U.S. helicopter.
Hours before canceling the strikes, Trump said U.S. forces would be hitting Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT." In response, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a key figure in U.S.-Iran negotiations, warned against using "wrong strategies and impulsive decisions."
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"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," he wrote on X.
"We're going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
On Tuesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said U.S. forces had completed self-defense strikes against Iran at Trump's orders in response to the downing of the helicopter.
The two crew members aboard a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after the helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters, CENTCOM said Monday. Both soldiers were safely rescued within two hours.
Despite being close to a deal, Trump said, Iran has been "tapping us along" and "playing us for suckers."