Trump calls off Iran strikes, says deal approved but Tehran denies agreement reached

Damage to buildings and vehicles in Bahrain reportedly caused by debris from intercepted drones, seen in a screen grab taken from handout footage released by Bahrain TV on June 11, 2026. Iran warned on June 11 that the shaky ceasefire in the three-month Middle East war was now "practically meaningless" following fresh strikes by the United States that saw Tehran respond with attacks around the region. Photo by Bahrain TV/AFP via Getty Images

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he has called off strikes against Iran after reaching a deal with the regime.

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“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, canceled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” the president stated. “Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved.”

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Trump said that the other parties were “Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and others.”

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The U.S. naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz “will remain in full force and effect until this transaction is finalized,” Trump stated. “Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly.”

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During a press conference in the Oval Office later in the day, Trump said that “we have a deal that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, which was the whole purpose of what we had to go through to get this.”

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“We have a signing soon, and the documents are in pretty final shape, so we’ll see,” he said. “It should be done and it should be done pretty quickly.”

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“They want it every bit as much as everybody else wants it,” the president said. “I think a lot of good relationships can ensue from this.”

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Trump’s statement suggested back-channel mediation led by U.S. allies like Pakistan and Qatar may have borne fruit — despite previously saying he would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT.”

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“Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel” and Gulf states, he posted.

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Just a day earlier, he had declared that not only would U.S. forces step up airstrikes, they would also seize control of Iran’s oil export facility on Kharg Island in the Gulf.

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Even as Trump’s intervention raised hopes of a resolution, Kuwait reported Iran targeted its territory and damaged an airport radar forcing an airspace closure.

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Hours after Trump’s pronouncements, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that “Iran has not reached a final conclusion on the agreement.”

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Later Trump doubled down, telling reporters “I understand the answer is yes,” when asked if Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the deal.

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“I hope we have in fact reached a diplomatic solution to end the Iranian conflict that will meet President Trump’s red lines and be fundamentally different from the JCPOA,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), referring to the past Iran nuclear deal.

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“As in the past, any agreement reached with Iran related to their nuclear program will be presented to Congress for review and approval,” the senator stated. “I look forward to that process.”