President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he had canceled planned military strikes against Iran, declaring in a formal Truth Social post that peace negotiations had been elevated to and approved by the highest levels of the Iranian government — a development he described as the effective end of a three-month war that has killed thousands and rattled global energy markets.
“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, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “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. The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly.”
The post, signed with his full name and presidential title, represented the most definitive statement Trump has made since the war began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iran.
The Oval Office Announcement
Hours after the Truth Social post, Trump elaborated from the Oval Office, telling reporters that negotiators had reached a breakthrough and that the agreement was largely finished pending completion of final paperwork. “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” Trump said. “The documents are in pretty final shape, so we’ll see. It should be done pretty quickly.”
Trump added that a signing ceremony was being planned, potentially in Europe, and noted that the stock market had risen sharply in response: “Probably have a signing, maybe in Europe, and great thing, stock markets up 1000 points, that means they like the deal.” Trump also told the New York Post that the agreement was “pretty much all wrapped up.”
Trump indicated that Vice President JD Vance could represent the United States at the signing ceremony and described the accord as “a very strong memorandum of understanding,” acknowledging it was “a little conceptual” but insisting Iran had committed to forego pursuing nuclear capabilities. “They will not have a nuclear weapon, they’ve agreed to that,” Trump said.
The Deal’s Structure and What Remains Unresolved
Trump acknowledged that the deal only “conceptually” addresses Iran’s nuclear material. While it includes a commitment from Iran not to obtain a nuclear weapon — something Tehran has long maintained it was not pursuing — the memorandum of understanding sets the stage for subsequent talks on the issue of Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium rather than resolving it outright.
According to Reuters, the agreement would temporarily ease Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports, while unresolved questions over Tehran’s nuclear development program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium would be deferred to future negotiations. Three Iranian sources told Reuters that a political understanding had been reached, but that some issues remained to be discussed in detail, including a mechanism for the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.
Trump said the U.S. would end its naval blockade immediately once the agreement is signed, telling reporters he understood that Iran’s supreme leader had approved of the arrangement.
A War Built on Pressure and Blockade
The backdrop to Thursday’s announcement stretches back nearly four months. On April 13, 2026, the United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran following the failure of the Islamabad Talks to end the conflict. Trump announced the blockade on Truth Social at the time, writing that the U.S. Navy would block “any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz” and that the blockade would remain until Iran opened the Strait to all traffic.
The blockade cost Iran an estimated $500 million daily, according to Trump’s own claims, while the U.S. Department of Defense estimated Iran had lost $4.8 billion in oil revenue by May 1. The conflict had already killed thousands of people, primarily in Iran and Lebanon, and driven global energy prices sharply higher since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes commenced in late February.
Strikes, Ceasefire, and the Road to Thursday
The path to Thursday’s announcement was anything but linear. Since mid-March, Trump had claimed more than 30 times that a deal with Iran was close, according to a review of his social media posts and public remarks, yet no agreement had materialized. In the days immediately preceding Thursday’s announcement, U.S. forces launched fresh strikes against Iran, which U.S. Central Command said were “in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter.”
Trump followed through on threats to strike Iran again overnight, launching a barrage of Tomahawk missiles and fighter jet attacks against Iranian targets while warning that additional bombing would follow unless Iran agreed to a deal — then hours later announced he had canceled planned strikes for Thursday evening, citing progress in talks.
Iran’s Response and Regional Dynamics
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported Thursday that Tehran was likely to approve the agreement, though the country had yet to give a formal response. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps did not confirm that Tehran had agreed to anything. Iranian officials had previously warned of severe consequences if the United States attempted to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s primary oil export hub, with one senior Iranian parliamentary official describing Trump as “confused and erratic.”
Trump said Thursday he had spoken directly with a number of regional leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gulf nation heads of state, in the hours before his announcement. U.S. stocks rose and oil prices fell sharply following the announcement, reflecting market anticipation of the first major diplomatic breakthrough since the war began.
What Comes Next
Trump said the agreement should be finalized within days: “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, subject to finalization of documents. It should get done in the next few days.” The time and place of the signing, Trump stated, would be announced shortly. Should the deal be completed, it would represent the most significant diplomatic development of the three-month conflict — and, if it holds, potentially the formal end to a war that reshaped energy markets, strained U.S. alliances, and brought the United States and Iran to the closest sustained military confrontation in decades.