Washington: US President Donald Trump said that a deal to end the war with Iran is nearly complete and is expected to be signed over the weekend in Europe, as he called off military strikes on the Islamic Republic hours after threatening to take control of its oil industry.
Trump, speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, said Vice President J.D. Vance is expected to attend the signing ceremony, which could take place in Europe as soon as this weekend.
The US president said he has spoken to leaders of Middle Eastern countries, including Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Pakistan, regarding the latest round of negotiations.
Later, addressing a tele-rally in favour of Georgia Lt Governor Burt Jones, who is running for the post of governor, Trump declared that the US has ended the war with Iran.
“I don’t know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today (Thursday), and they have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon, something that we insisted on. That was the whole purpose,” Trump said.
Earlier, at the Oval Office, Trump said that the stock market “likes the deal” and there would be a signing quickly. He said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen once the agreement were finalised.
“It’s a very strong memorandum of understanding. That’s a little conceptual, but it’s something that’s going to get done,” Trump said. “It’s a very detailed memorandum of understanding,” he said.
Trump claimed that Iran has committed to permanently abandoning any effort to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“They will not purchase, develop in any way, shape or form a nuclear weapon. They will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
“They’ve taken a pounding like very few people could take — and they want to make the deal a lot more than I do,” Trump said in response to a question on how Iran came around to agreeing to a deal.
Iran has been insisting that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only and maintains that nuclear weapons are contrary to its ideology and forbidden under Islam. The late supreme leader had even issued a formal fatwa that prohibits the production and use of weapons of mass destruction.
In a stunning about-face that left allies, rivals and oil markets scrambling, US President Donald Trump on Thursday abruptly called off planned new military strikes against Iran – just hours after threatening to hit the country “VERY HARD TONIGHT” and seize control of its vital oil industry.
Trump announced that he had called off the threatened strikes after receiving indications that discussions with Iran had reached the highest levels of the Iranian leadership.
“Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved,” Trump wrote, the planned attacks were being shelved. He also claimed progress had been made toward strengthening the fragile ceasefire that has struggled to survive weeks of violence.
The abrupt reversal is the latest example of Trump’s rapidly shifting messaging on Iran.
In recent weeks, the president has repeatedly declared that a breakthrough peace agreement was close, only to follow those claims with threats of military escalation. Earlier Thursday, he appeared ready to dramatically expand the conflict. By nightfall, he was once again talking about diplomacy.
The whiplash has fuelled uncertainty across the Middle East, where governments are desperately trying to prevent the region from sliding back into a full-scale war.
Before Trump’s reversal, the conflict appeared headed toward a dangerous new phase.
Iran has so far reacted cautiously to Trump’s latest change of tone.
While welcoming any reduction in military pressure, Iranian officials remain deeply sceptical of Washington’s intentions, pointing to Trump’s repeated shifts between diplomacy and threats.
Meanwhile, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated Friday that Iran now stands in a “more powerful, more prepared, and more deterrent position than ever before”.
“Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran, drawing on the valuable experiences of the Sacred Defense and the historic battles of the 12-day and 40-day imposed wars, stands in a stronger, more prepared, and more deterrent position than ever before… With full awareness of the enemy front’s movements, we remain with fingers on the trigger, ready to deliver a decisive, immediate, painful, and regret-inducing response to any threat, aggression, encroachment, or potential miscalculation by the enemy,” the IRGC statement said.
