Trump Calls Off Iran Strikes, Says Deal Is Close

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he had cancelled planned strikes against Iran, saying that negotiations with the Islamic Republic had reached the highest levels of Iranian leadership and received the necessary approval.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that all the main points of the emerging agreement had been approved not only by the US and Iran, but also by other interested parties, including Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt.

Trump also said that the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would remain in place until a full agreement was completed, and that the location and date of the signing would be announced shortly.

The announcement came hours after Trump had spoken earlier in the day about the possibility of a major military strike against Iran.

(guardian, bak)