Trump says Iran ceasefire deal is close after halted US strikes
Donald Trump has said a deal with Iran is close, after calling off a third day of strikes and describing the outcome as a "great settlement". The latest comments mark another sharp turn in his public messaging, coming only hours after he had warned on social media that the United States would hit Iran "VERY HARD". The reported framework is being described as a memorandum of understanding rather than a full peace deal, suggesting the immediate aim is to pause the confrontation rather than resolve it.
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The development follows several days of exchange of fire across the Persian Gulf and a rapid sequence of threats, cancellations and claims of progress. Trump said a day earlier that Iran was "all talk and no action" and would "have to pay the price" for stalled negotiations. He has also disputed Iranian media accounts of the draft terms, saying the details being circulated "have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to" and "bears no relation to the truth".
The significance of the reported deal is that it could ease pressure on a confrontation that has raised the risk of further strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure and wider disruption in the Gulf. Even a temporary understanding would matter for oil markets and for countries dependent on Gulf crude imports, given the region's central role in global energy flows. It also underlines the importance of backchannel diplomacy, with regional actors appearing to have helped keep talks alive as military threats escalated.
The supplied material indicates that the terms being discussed appear closer to Iran's negotiating position than to the demands Trump had been making for months. That would make the reported framework politically sensitive in Washington, where the president had previously presented a harder line. It also suggests Tehran may be seeking to lock in concessions through a limited understanding that leaves more detailed issues for later talks.
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The broader context is a fast-moving dispute in which Trump has repeatedly suggested a deal was imminent, only for the process to stall or change direction. The reporting says this is not the first time he has signalled progress, and that the latest claims come after a period of rhetoric whiplash. The sequence has left open questions about whether the current pause is durable or simply another short-lived shift in posture.
What remains unclear is whether the memorandum of understanding is fully agreed, how much of it has been accepted by both sides, and whether the cancellation of strikes will hold. The supplied rows do not confirm any new military action beyond the halted strikes and the diplomatic claims around them. The next developments to watch are further statements from Washington and Tehran, and whether the reported framework can survive the competing public narratives around it.
Trump said the planned strikes were cancelled after negotiators had made what he called a "great settlement" with Iran, marking a further shift from his earlier warning that the US would hit Iran "very hard" again. He said he had "given Iran a break at the request of Pakistan" and credited Pakistan, along with several Gulf and regional states, for helping advance the talks. The remarks were made as he opened an Oval Office event, hours after the latest threat of military action.
He said the final points of the proposed agreement had been approved "in both concept and great detail" by the US, the UAE, Qatar, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, Bahrain, Kuwait, Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt. Trump also singled out Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, saying Islamabad was continuing efforts to persuade Tehran to reach an agreement. Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on state television that the deal was "mostly finalised", while also accusing Washington of contradictions that had caused turmoil in the process.
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The development matters because it suggests a possible pause in a confrontation that had raised the risk of strikes on Iranian oil and gas infrastructure. Any easing of tensions could help reduce pressure on global oil markets and lower the chance of supply disruption, especially for countries dependent on Gulf crude imports. It also highlights the growing role of regional middle powers in backchannel diplomacy, with Pakistan appearing to gain unusual public credit from Washington for its part in the talks.
The latest comments build on a fast-moving sequence in which Trump first threatened to strike Iran "very hard" and then said he was cancelling the attacks because a settlement had advanced. The supplied material says Saudi Arabia and Qatar also pressed parties to return to "constructive negotiations" sponsored by Pakistan. That places the talks in a wider regional framework, with several governments trying to prevent the dispute from spilling further into the Gulf.
What remains unclear is whether the reported agreement is fully finalised, how durable it may be, and whether the cancellation of strikes is permanent or only temporary. The supplied rows do not confirm any new military action, only the change in US posture and the diplomatic claims around it. The next developments to watch are further statements from Washington and Tehran, and whether the regional mediation effort can hold long enough to prevent another escalation.
US President Donald Trump said he had cancelled a third straight night of planned attacks on Iran, saying talks with Tehran were close to producing a deal. The announcement marks a sharp shift from his earlier warning that Iran would be hit "very hard" and his threat to target Kharg Island and other oil facilities. The latest reporting places the development amid fast-moving US-Iran negotiations and continuing concern over energy infrastructure.
Trump's comments came after a period of heightened rhetoric in which he suggested the United States could strike Iranian oil assets. The supplied material says he had earlier threatened Kharg Island, which is described in the existing article as central to Iran's crude exports and a major point in the country's oil system. A senior Iranian official was also reported to have said that a proposed memorandum of understanding with the US was being considered by Iran's top leadership.
The immediate significance is that the threat of further strikes has been paused, at least for now, while diplomacy remains active. That matters because the earlier warnings were directed at energy infrastructure, which would carry economic consequences for Iran and wider implications for oil markets. The shift also suggests that both sides are still testing whether a negotiated outcome is possible despite the recent escalation.
The broader context is a conflict that has already seen several days of US-Iran strikes and counter-threats, with ceasefire efforts repeatedly under strain. The existing material says Iran's foreign ministry had described earlier attacks as making the pause in fighting "practically meaningless". It also notes that the confrontation has already raised fears of wider disruption and pushed the situation closer to a broader war.
Kharg Island remains central to why the threat drew attention. The supplied background says it handles about 90% of Iran's oil shipments and is a tightly controlled military site with storage, pipelines and offshore loading facilities. Any move against it would therefore go beyond military pressure and directly affect state revenue, export capacity and market stability.
What remains unclear is whether the planned strikes have been cancelled permanently or only delayed, and whether the reported memorandum of understanding can produce a durable pause. The supplied rows do not confirm any new military action beyond the threats and the cancellation announcement. The next developments to watch are further US or Iranian statements, any renewed targeting of energy infrastructure, and whether the talks can continue without another escalation.
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