Donald Trump declared the war with Iran over on Thursday, announcing he had cancelled scheduled strikes because a “great settlement” had been reached — but Tehran immediately pushed back, insisting that “nothing has been finalised”.
The US president, speaking on a call aired during a campaign rally in Georgia, said: “I don’t know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today.” In a separate briefing with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump described a “very strong memorandum of understanding” that would serve as the framework for a final peace deal, with a signing ceremony possibly in Europe as early as this weekend.
“Trump claims Iran war ended with deal; Tehran says 'nothing finalised' as oil prices drop.”
His announcement came after days of escalating strikes that threatened to unravel a fragile ceasefire agreed in April. On Thursday morning, Trump had warned he would hit Iran “very hard” again that evening. But in a post on Truth Social, 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.”
The proposed deal, according to Trump, would oblige Iran to forgo nuclear weapons entirely. “They will not have a nuclear weapon, they’ve agreed to that,” he said. “They will not only not have, they will not purchase, develop in any way, any shape, in any way, shape or form a nuclear weapon.” He added that the Strait of Hormuz — effectively closed since Iran shut it in response to US-Israeli strikes in February — would reopen “as soon as we have it signed”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed he had spoken to Trump, and released a statement saying Israel “is not a party to the memorandum of understanding”. But he expressed support for a final agreement that includes “the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region”.
In Tehran, the mood was markedly different. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iranian state television that reports of an agreement were “speculative” and that “nothing has been finalised”. While he acknowledged that the majority of the text had been “finalised”, he stressed that other parts remained pending and the proposal was still under review by Iran’s decision-making bodies.
Major General Ali Abdollahi struck an even more confrontational tone, accusing Washington of speaking “of agreement and negotiation” while simultaneously committing “villainy”.
The conflict began on 28 February when the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran. Iran responded by attacking Israel and US-allied Gulf states, and closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and liquefied natural gas. Despite the April ceasefire, intermittent fire has continued, including two rounds of tit-for-tat strikes this week.
Trump’s latest claim sent oil prices tumbling: Brent crude plunged about 4.4% to roughly $89 a barrel. But with Tehran refusing to confirm any deal, the true state of negotiations remains unclear. The G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, next week is expected to discuss the conflict and its global impact.