US President Donald Trump said he has canceled planned strikes against Iran on Thursday, hours after threatening more bombings and a desire to “take” oil export hub Kharg Island.
“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 in a post on Truth Social.
Trump said “discussions and final points” have been approved by the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Türkiye, 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,” he said.
Earlier, Iran warned on Thursday that the shaky ceasefire in the three-month Middle East war was now “practically meaningless” following fresh strikes by the United States that saw Tehran respond with attacks around the region.
The war, which began on February 28 with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, was paused by the April truce, but efforts to hammer out a permanent end to the fighting have stalled, and sporadic exchanges of fire have put the ceasefire under repeated strain.
In their second straight day of tit-for-tat attacks, Washington hit surveillance, communications and air defence facilities, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced a “punitive operation” targeting a US base in Jordan and Gulf states reported incoming fire.
Mediators Pakistan and Qatar suggested backchannel efforts to negotiate an end to the war were ongoing in spite of the flare-up, though Islamabad cautioned it was “hard to be an optimist” in light of the latest escalation.
The strikes took place while a Qatari delegation was in Tehran, with a diplomatic source saying the discussions were “conducted in coordination with the United States”.
US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly maintained negotiations with Tehran were close to a deal, said on Wednesday that Iran keeps “playing us for suckers” and will now “have to pay the price”.
Hours after, CENTCOM said US forces began strikes early Thursday on Iran in response to its “unwarranted and continued aggression”, later adding it had completed its attacks.
Iranian media reported explosions across the south, with at least three people wounded in Tehran province.
Jordan said it had shot down 20 Iranian missiles, while Kuwait’s military said its air defences had engaged “hostile aerial targets”.
Bahrain, which hosts a US naval base, said an 11-year-old girl suffered minor injuries and homes and cars were damaged by “sinful Iranian aggression”.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East and urged all parties involved to exercise restraint and pursue diplomatic solutions to regional disputes.
Speaking at the weekly Foreign Office briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan remained committed to dialogue and diplomacy despite the renewed hostilities in the region.