President Trump canceled planned military strikes against Iran on Thursday, announcing that Tehran's leadership had approved a draft agreement to extend a ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and begin 60 days of nuclear negotiations.
Trump declared on Truth Social that discussions had reached "the highest level of Iranian leadership" and that the agreement's framework had won approval from the U.S., Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Egypt. He said final deal points had been endorsed "in both concept and great detail" by all involved parties, and pledged to maintain the naval blockade until the agreement is finalized.
The reality on the ground looked messier. Iran's Fars news agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guards, denied any formal accord had been reached, though it acknowledged a "possibility" that Tehran might reconsider signing off. A source close to Iran's negotiating team told Fars that no preliminary text had been approved, contradicting Trump's characterization. Yet a subsequent report from the same agency suggested the U.S. had accepted an Iranian proposal, potentially opening a path forward.
Behind closed doors, Qatari envoy Ali Al-Thawadi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi worked through Wednesday night to narrow remaining gaps. Three sources briefed on the negotiations told Axios that both the Qataris and Iranians believed they had hammered out acceptable language on three critical issues: the mechanism for releasing Iran's frozen assets, the procedures for reopening the Strait of Hormuz during the ceasefire window, and how nuclear talks would be structured over the coming weeks.
Iranian officials informed several countries Thursday that the negotiations had produced an agreement in principle, though Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei still needed to grant final approval. The sources cautioned that Trump's threat earlier that day to strike Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT" had fueled deep skepticism about his true objectives.
The White House has repeatedly claimed a deal was on the verge of completion only to watch talks unravel, raising questions about whether this latest announcement signals genuine progress or another false alarm. Trump's history of overselling negotiations has left observers cautious about reading too much into his statements.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's claim of an agreed framework doesn't match Iran's careful hedging or the gaps still being reported on asset releases and nuclear mechanics, which suggests this announcement is meant to buy political cover for the canceled strikes, not to describe an actual done deal."
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