US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he had called off planned strikes against Iran, signaling a potential diplomatic breakthrough after days of escalating military exchanges. In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump said the decision came after discussions with Tehran had been “brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.”
“Based on that fact, I have… cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” Trump wrote. He added that “final points” had been approved by all parties, though he offered no specifics on the content of any agreement. “Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly,” he said.
Despite the apparent de-escalation, Trump confirmed that the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, in place since mid-April, would remain in force until the “transaction is finalised.” The announcement marks a sharp reversal from earlier Thursday, when Trump had vowed to hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” and threatened to seize Kharg Island, the country’s primary oil export hub.
Kharg Island and the Oil Factor
Kharg Island, a small landmass in the northern Persian Gulf measuring roughly 8 kilometres by 5 kilometres, handles about 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil exports. Pipelines from major Iranian oil fields converge there before tankers load for destinations including China and other Asian markets. Any attack on the island would have sent shockwaves through global oil markets already strained by the conflict.
Trump’s earlier threat to “assume total control” of Iran’s oil and gas markets echoed his administration’s approach in Venezuela. But the shift to a potential deal suggests a recognition of the economic stakes, particularly for European allies who have been hit by rising fuel prices and supply disruptions linked to the crisis.
The US and Iran have traded strikes for three consecutive days, pushing the region closer to a full-scale war. The American attacks on Thursday appeared more intense than previous days, though Iran released little information on damage. Tehran retaliated by firing at Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, as it had done a day earlier. The US military also continued enforcing its blockade, disabling a tanker attempting to transport Iranian oil. An Indian official reported that a separate US strike earlier this week killed three Indian sailors.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict had appeared stalled, with Trump warning that Tehran would “pay the price” for lack of progress. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the US attacks had “effectively rendered the ceasefire… meaningless,” without formally abandoning it. Central to the negotiations is Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for global energy supplies. Iran announced on Thursday that the strait was closed, though traffic has been severely restricted since early in the war. The US military’s Central Command disputed the claim, and Trump said a secret mission had recently sneaked ships through the passage.
The nuclear question remains a major sticking point. Iran insists its programme is peaceful, but the US and Israel fear its stockpile of highly enriched uranium could be used to build an atomic weapon. Both countries cited that risk as a key reason for launching the war on 28 February. For European capitals, the prospect of a deal offers a potential off-ramp from a conflict that has disrupted energy markets and raised security concerns across the continent. The EU has already rolled out new sanctions on Russia amid the broader geopolitical turmoil, and Brussels has warned Albania over a Trump-linked resort project in a protected area.
As the situation evolves, European leaders will be watching closely whether the promised signing materialises and whether the blockade is lifted. The coming days will test whether Trump’s latest shift is a genuine step toward peace or a tactical pause in a conflict that has already reshaped the Middle East.
