Iran Says Peace Deal ‘Text Not Final’

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has cancelled planned strikes against Iran, claiming the leadership in Tehran “approved” a draft agreement to extend the ceasefire, reopen the vital shipping route Strait of Hormuz and launch 60 days of negotiations on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme. However, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that Tehran has not yet approved a text for any deal with the United States but said there was a “possibility” Tehran would consider signing off.

The peace deal under negotiation is intended to open the strait and lift the US blockade, but any agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme and the lifting of US sanctions is likely to require further negotiation. Follow Live Updates

Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said his understanding was that the Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had given his approval to the proposal.

“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran…The strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe,” he said.

“We took them out at night, and the Strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be sent very soon, maybe over the weekend in Europe,” he added.

Later, taking to his Truth Social platform, he wrote, “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.”