US President Donald Trump says he has cancelled the planned strikes against Iran’s key facilities hours after he vowed to have the US military hit the Middle Eastern country “very hard.”
Mr Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said he called off the attack because negotiations with Iran had been taken to the “highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.”
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“Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved,” including the “US, Israel, Saudi Arabia”, he said.
He further noted, “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.”
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PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Trump earlier announced that the US military is prepared to strike Iran tonight. He also stated that the US Central Command would seize “total control” of Iran’s oil and gas hubs.
The threats follow Iran’s announcement of the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This paper reported that the US and Iran began exchanging retaliatory strikes on Tuesday night after Tehran downed an American Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
The exchange further escalated the tension in the Middle East. The US also launched a second wave of strikes on Iran on Wednesday, after which Iran retaliated with missile strikes on US bases in the region.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth claimed these strikes are part of the ongoing negotiations for a permanent ceasefire. He also stated that they were launched in “self-defense.” But Mr Trump described the strikes as the price Iran must pay for taking too long to negotiate a deal.
He told Fox News on Wednesday that Iran had a chance to sign a deal and survive but failed to do so, and as such, he may keep going with more strikes given the slow pace of negotiations.
READ ALSO: US, Iran exchange retaliatory strikes
Mr Trump also threatened to take control of Kharg Island and “other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of Iran’s oil and gas markets.
He further noted that this will be much like the US did “with Venezuela, which is working out brilliantly.”
However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry has denied Mr Trump’s claim that a deal has been approved.
Al Jazeera reports that the ministry said the Iranian government has yet to make a final decision about a deal. The ministry noted that the authorities will make a formal announcement once a conclusion is reached on the details of the draft agreement.
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