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Summary
US President Donald Trump cancelled heavy attacks on Iran that had been announced for Thursday evening, citing progress in talks with Tehran. He said a memorandum of understanding could be signed as early as the weekend, possibly in Europe, while warning the US would still seize key oil infrastructure if talks failed.
Washington, 12 June 2026
US President Donald Trump cancelled heavy attacks on Iran that he had announced for Thursday evening, saying on Truth Social that a framework agreement with Tehran could be signed within days, possibly in Europe.
Background
Hours before the strikes were due to begin, Trump wrote on his online platform Truth Social that the United States would hit the Islamic Republic "very hard" that night. The threat followed a fresh round of US attacks on Iranian military surveillance, communications and air-defence installations earlier in the week, which had already drawn sharp condemnation from Tehran. Trump later reversed course, posting again on Truth Social that the previously announced attacks had been called off because talks with Iran had reached "the highest level of Iranian leadership."
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said documents were being finalised and that a signing could take place as early as the weekend, "vielleicht in Europa" — perhaps in Europe. He described the emerging text as a Memorandum of Understanding, or "Absichtserklärung," and said Vice President JD Vance would attend the ceremony in his place. "Das sollte in den nächsten Tagen passieren. Wahrscheinlich werde es eine Unterzeichnung geben – 'vielleicht in Europa'," Trump said. He added that the new Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had, in his understanding, personally approved the deal: "So wie ich es verstehe, ist die Antwort ja."
According to Trump, the agreement would bar Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon and would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil passes. In return, the United States is demanding guarantees that Iran abandon its nuclear program and end its de facto blockade of the strait. Iran is also pushing for the release of frozen oil revenues held abroad, reportedly between six and twelve billion dollars, which the US government wants disbursed in stages and exclusively for humanitarian goods. Iran is additionally demanding an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, the lifting of sanctions and recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran Pushes Back Diplomatically
Diplomatic sources told Reuters that both sides have exchanged drafts of a memorandum of understanding and that progress was being made, citing multiple Iranian insiders and a European diplomat. The framework agreement reportedly includes the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the end of the US naval blockade imposed in response to Iran's de facto closure of the waterway. Iran is also hindering tankers from passing through the strait, and Iran's military has threatened to attack any ship attempting to transit it.
From the Iranian side, however, signals have been more cautious. The Iranian state news agency Fars, citing negotiating circles, reported that 'no text for an agreement has been approved'. Iranian officials said that if the United States accepted Iran's proposal, Tehran would likely agree, but that no declaration of intent had yet been signed off. Tehran has played down or qualified Trump's claims of progress in recent days.
Tehran has also warned that it retains the right to self-defence. The Iranian Foreign Ministry sharply condemned the "large-scale" US attacks of the previous night and described the existing ceasefire, in place since April, as "praktisch bedeutungslos" — practically meaningless — in light of the renewed strikes. The ministry nonetheless stopped short of formally terminating the ceasefire. Iran's Revolutionary Guards responded with counterattacks, including strikes on US bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, and Iran fired on the Gulf states during the night.
Casualties and Regional Spillover
The military back-and-forth has inflicted casualties. According to information from Tehran, at least three people were injured in attacks in the province of Tehran. Jordan said it intercepted 20 missiles fired from Iran during the night. In Bahrain, an eleven-year-old girl was injured and falling debris after Iranian drones were repelled caused vehicles to catch fire in Manama and the town of Hammad, damaging residential buildings. India reported three dead Indian crew members from a tanker attack in the Gulf of Oman, and 21 additional crew members were rescued according to India's Foreign Ministry in New Delhi. Iran's Mehr news agency reported, citing official sources, that a boat carrying basic foodstuffs in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by a US projectile in the early morning hours; the crew was rescued.
Trump Keeps the Threat of Kharg on the Table
Trump, however, used the announcement to press his advantage. He threatened that in the not-too-distant future the United States would seize the Iranian island of Kharg and additional parts of Iran's oil infrastructure, writing that the US would obtain "vollständige Kontrolle" — complete control — over Iran's oil and gas. He compared the approach to actions taken in Venezuela, which he said had worked "brillant" — brilliantly — for both countries. The island of Kharg, in the Persian Gulf, hosts Iran's most important oil port, where roughly 90 percent of the Islamic Republic's oil exports are handled.
In a phone call with Fox News, Trump also spoke of "bigger" and "more powerful" bombings to come, and warned that the US naval blockade of Iranian ships and ports would remain fully in place until a final agreement was concluded. Trump said he did not want ground troops in Iran, but mentioned that theoretically a small group could be sent. He said he would speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and that he himself would not be able to attend the signing because he celebrates his 80th birthday in Washington on Sunday, June 14, before travelling to France for the G7 summit.
Markets React to the News
Financial markets reacted quickly to the news. Following Trump's announcement, the price of Brent crude oil from the North Sea fell below 90 US dollars per barrel, reaching its lowest level since mid-April. Stock indices on Wall Street extended their gains and the euro rose against the US dollar as hopes of a diplomatic resolution grew. Since mid-March, Trump has repeatedly claimed that an agreement with Iran is imminent.
The G7 summit, which includes the United States, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Canada, Japan and the European Union, is scheduled to take place in the French resort town of Évian on Lake Geneva from June 15 to 17. Trump is set to travel to France for the meeting after his birthday. The fighting between the United States and Iran has now been ongoing for three months, has cost thousands of lives, and has driven up global energy prices. The renewed escalation came after Iran and Israel fired at each other over the weekend.
Open Questions Ahead of the G7
Beyond the US-Iran theatre, the conflict continues to ripple across the region. Six people were killed and ten injured in Israeli attacks in Lebanon, and three people were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. According to the news agency STA, Slovenia lifted its entry ban on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and ended its arms embargo against Israel. Trump, asked in the Oval Office, said he had reached a "großartige Vereinbarung" — a great agreement — to end the Iran war, and reiterated that the deal would mean Iran would "niemals eine Atomwaffe" — never have a nuclear weapon.
Despite the diplomatic opening, key questions remain unresolved. It is unclear whether Mojtaba Khamenei has in fact signed off on the text, with Iranian sources publicly denying that any agreement has been approved. The status of Iran's frozen oil revenues, the future of US sanctions and the future of Israeli operations in Lebanon all remain sticking points. The ceasefire announced in April has been formally in place for two months but has been strained by mutual attacks in recent days, and Iran's Foreign Ministry has warned that further strikes could push the region past the point of no return.
Questions & Answers
What did Donald Trump announce on 12 June 2026 about Iran?
Trump cancelled heavy attacks on Iran that had been announced for Thursday evening, citing progress in talks with Tehran, and said a framework agreement could be signed as early as the weekend, possibly in Europe.
Why is the island of Kharg so important in the US-Iran conflict?
Kharg, in the Persian Gulf, hosts Iran's most important oil port and handles roughly 90 percent of the Islamic Republic's oil exports, making it a central point of leverage in negotiations over Iran's energy industry.
What are the main sticking points in a possible US-Iran deal?
The main sticking points include the release of frozen Iranian oil revenues, the lifting of US sanctions, guarantees that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
