President Donald Trump declared Thursday evening, “We ended the war with Iran today,” and touted an emerging agreement that he said would permanently prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Speaking during a virtual tele-rally for Georgia gubernatorial candidate Burt Jones, Trump celebrated what he described as a major diplomatic breakthrough only hours after announcing that he had canceled planned U.S. strikes against Iran because a framework agreement was nearing completion.
“I don’t know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today, and they have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “That was the whole purpose. That was 95% of it.”
The remarks came after Trump spent much of the day publicly signaling confidence that a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran was close to being finalized following months of conflict, indirect negotiations, and a renewed round of U.S. military pressure aimed at forcing Iran to accept a deal.
“Probably you heard that today we settled up with Iran. We made a great deal,” Trump told supporters. “There’ll be no nuclear weapons. People will start coming home very soon. It’s pretty much completed. We got everything we wanted.”
Earlier Thursday, Trump announced on Truth Social that he had canceled planned strikes against Iran after discussions had been elevated to the country’s highest leadership levels and approved in principle by all parties involved.
“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,” Trump wrote.
He added that the U.S. naval blockade would remain in effect until the agreement is finalized and said a signing ceremony would be announced shortly.
Hours later, speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said he expected the agreement to be finalized within days and suggested a signing ceremony could take place in Europe as soon as this weekend.
“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, subject to finalization of documents,” Trump said. “It should get done over the next few days.”
Trump also indicated that Vice President JD Vance could lead the American delegation at the signing ceremony and said he had spoken throughout the day with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several Arab leaders involved in the diplomatic effort.
Asked whether Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the agreement, Trump replied, “I understand the answer is yes.”
The president further emphasized that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remained the central objective of the negotiations.
“They will not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “They will not only not have, they will not purchase, develop in any way, shape, or form a nuclear weapon.”
Trump argued that recent military pressure had helped convince Tehran to move toward an agreement after months of stalled negotiations.
“They’ve taken a pounding. They’ve taken a pounding like very few people could take,” Trump said. “And they want to make a deal a lot more than I do.”
Details of the emerging memorandum of understanding remain limited, though multiple reports indicate it would extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, launch a new round of nuclear negotiations, and establish a framework for future discussions regarding sanctions relief and Iran’s nuclear program.
Iranian officials, however, have stopped short of confirming Trump’s announcement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Thursday that while much of the negotiating text had already been completed, Tehran had not yet reached a final decision regarding an agreement.
“Iran has not yet reached a final conclusion regarding an agreement,” Baghaei said, according to Iranian state media.
At the same time, Iranian officials have acknowledged that negotiations are in advanced stages, while reports from regional mediators indicate that significant gaps involving frozen Iranian assets, the Strait of Hormuz, and future nuclear talks have been narrowed in recent days.
Following a call with Trump on Thursday, Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister expressed appreciation for the president’s commitment that any final agreement would address Iran’s enriched nuclear material, enrichment infrastructure, missile production, and support for regional terrorist proxies.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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