US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Washington and Tehran had reached the outline of a deal to end their war, even as he announced he had called off planned strikes on Iran.
“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
However, Iran‘s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told state television that claims of a finished agreement were merely “speculative” and that “nothing has been finalised.” Notably, Trump has made similar claims before, and just hours earlier he had vowed to hit Iran “very hard.”
The conflict escalated sharply after the US and Israel launched broad strikes on Iran on 28 February, prompting Tehran to retaliate against Israel and US-allied Gulf states while effectively shutting the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global oil and gas shipments. Although both sides agreed a ceasefire in April, they have continued exchanging fire intermittently, including two rounds of strikes this week.
Nuclear guarantees and outstanding disputes
According to Trump, the emerging agreement ensures “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” and he expects a signing “maybe in Europe” once paperwork is complete, alongside the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He added that he had briefed regional leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying “the whole Middle East is very happy.”
Consequently, Netanyahu’s office confirmed the call, clarifying that Israel “is not a party to the memorandum of understanding,” though it welcomed Trump’s commitment to a final deal covering the removal of enriched material, dismantling enrichment infrastructure, limiting missile production, and ending Iran’s support for regional proxies.
Meanwhile, Baghaei said negotiators had “finalised” most of the memorandum text, but accused Washington of making “excessive demands” and “new requests,” insisting Iran would not “depart from its red lines.”
Escalating Military Clashes
Before his latest remarks, Trump had threatened to strike Iran “very hard” and seize Kharg Island, which handles roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports. Tehran’s military warned of retaliation “more severe than before,” while top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf cautioned against “wrong strategies and impulsive decisions.”
Strikes this week also hit US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, injuring a child in Bahrain. Consequently, the UN, alongside Russia, China, Turkey, India, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, called for de-escalation, urging both sides to honour the ceasefire.
