US President Donald Trump said on Thursday evening he has cancelled planned military strikes and bombings against Iran after negotiations reached what he described as the highest level of Iranian leadership and won approval.
In a statement posted on social media, Trump said the United States had been preparing to carry out fresh strikes on Wednesday evening but called the operation off following progress in talks. He said the discussion and final points of a proposed agreement had been approved by all parties involved — the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Egypt.
Trump said details of the time and location for the signing of the agreement would be announced shortly, but added that the naval blockade in place around Iran would remain in force until the transaction is fully finalised.
The reversal lands at the end of a day that saw a sharp swing in the cycle. US Central Command launched fresh overnight strikes on multiple Iranian targets hours earlier after Trump warned Tehran of “very hard” attacks, and Iran’s top joint military command had responded by declaring a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz and warning any vessel attempting passage would be fired on. Trump had first signalled he was close to a deal on Monday before the latest escalation cycle.
For Sri Lanka, which depends on Hormuz-routed fuel imports, the pause in strikes removes immediate risk of a wider war but leaves the Hormuz blockade and resulting shipping risk premium in place pending the signing. Ten participating governments would form the broadest coalition publicly backed by the White House on Iran since the war began.
Source: Newswire.
