Trump cancels threatened strikes on Iran after announcing breakthrough in talks

The reversal was abrupt. Only hours earlier, Trump had announced via Truth Social that the US military would strike Iran 'very hard' on the night from Thursday to Friday. In a phone call with Fox News, he also spoke of 'bigger' and 'more powerful' bombings that would come. The cancellation, attributed by Trump to talks that had reached the highest level of Iranian leadership, marked the second time the US President had threatened attacks and then called them off.

Iran's guarded response

Trump said he assumed the new supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, had personally approved the agreement. The deal, Trump said, would mean that Iran 'will never have a nuclear weapon,' without providing further details, and that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened under the arrangement. He also stated that the US naval blockade against Iranian ships and ports would remain fully in place until a final agreement is concluded, and that documents still needed to be finalised, which could happen in the 'coming days.'

Iran's response was guarded. The Iranian Foreign Ministry refrained from formally terminating the ceasefire that has been in effect since April, but described the existing arrangement as 'practically meaningless' in light of the renewed US attacks. In a declaration, the ministry stated that Iran had a right to self-defense. The Iranian news agency Fars, citing negotiation circles, reported that 'no text for an agreement has been approved.' Iranian negotiation circles had earlier expressed irritation at the US strategy, which they said combined military threats with constantly shifting negotiation positions.

Central disputes and demands

Diplomatic sources told Reuters, citing Iranian insiders and a European diplomat, that talks were making progress, with both sides exchanging drafts of a declaration of intent. According to Trump's account, negotiations on a resolution of the conflict were close to a breakthrough. For Iran's leadership, a framework agreement that would give Tehran an economic breathing space and end the war was said to be the priority. A central point of dispute remained the release of frozen Iranian oil revenues abroad, with Iran demanding payment of six to twelve billion US dollars, while the US government in Washington wanted the funds released gradually and exclusively for humanitarian goods.

Iran's demands reportedly included an end to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, the lifting of sanctions, and recognition of its control over the Strait of Hormuz. In return, Trump demanded an end to the Iranian blockade of the strait and guarantees that Iran would not develop nuclear weapons. On the weekend, Iran and Israel had already exchanged fire, and on the nights of Wednesday and Thursday, Iran and the United States attacked each other heavily.

Casualties and counter-strikes

The US military said it had targeted military surveillance facilities, communications systems, and air defense positions in Iran during the overnight strikes, which Tehran condemned as 'large-scale.' According to information from Tehran, at least three people were injured in the US strikes. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards responded with counter-attacks on US bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Local authorities in Bahrain said an 11-year-old girl was injured there, while in the capital Manama and in the town of Hammad, falling debris after Iranian drone fire was intercepted caused several vehicles to catch fire and damaged residential houses. Iran also reported a rocket attack on a US base in Jordan, and Jordan said it intercepted 20 rockets fired from Iran overnight.

In a further escalation, the US military attacked a tanker in the Gulf of Oman that allegedly attempted to transport Iranian oil. According to Indian authorities, three Indian crew members were killed in the attack, and 21 other crew members were rescued. India reported the deaths separately. Further fire was reported on a tanker off the coast of Oman. Iran's military threatened, in a statement broadcast by state radio, to attack any ship attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz following the US attacks. According to Iranian reports, the Strait of Hormuz was closed to all ships after US attacks; the US denied the closure, with US Central Command (Centcom) posting on X: 'Commercial ships continue to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz tonight.'

Tanker attacks and Hormuz blockade

Iranian media also reported that a boat loaded with staple foods had been hit by a US projectile in the Strait of Hormuz in the early morning hours (local time); the crew was rescued. Following an airspace closure, Kuwait's air traffic later returned to normal operations.

Trump coupled his diplomatic overture with pointed threats. On Truth Social, he wrote that the United States would in the not-too-distant future take over the Iranian island of Kharg as well as other parts of Iran's oil infrastructure and gain complete control over Iran's oil and gas markets. In remarks from the Oval Office, Trump said: 'The way I understand it, the answer is yes' when asked whether Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had personally approved the deal. Trump also stated he did not want ground troops in Iran but mentioned the theoretical possibility of sending a small group. He said the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened under the deal.

Threats over Kharg island and oil markets

The island of Kharg in the Persian Gulf hosts Iran's most important oil port, through which about 90 percent of the Islamic Republic's oil exports are handled. Trump's threats to seize the island and broader oil infrastructure drew an explicit comparison with Venezuela, where he said similar action had worked 'brilliantly' for both countries.

Markets reacted sharply to the cancellation. The price of Brent crude oil fell below 90 US dollars per barrel, reaching its lowest level since mid-April. Stock indices on the New York Wall Street extended their gains after the news, and the euro rose against the dollar.

Markets and European reaction

European leaders added their voices. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called for pressure on Iran and diplomatic solutions. In a separate development, Israel refused entry to a French journalist.

Despite the renewed mutual airstrikes, both sides signalled that negotiations over a peace agreement were to continue and even make progress. The ceasefire between the US and Iran agreed in April, nominally in place for two months, was described as fragile once again. Trump said the deal would ensure that Iran 'will never have a nuclear weapon.' His reversal came just hours after Iran's Foreign Ministry had warned that the renewed US attacks had rendered the ceasefire meaningless, underscoring how rapidly the situation on the ground has continued to shift.

Trump said the time and place of the signing of the agreement would be announced 'shortly.' He also left open the possibility that the deal could be concluded in Europe, though he provided no further details on the timing or the participants. The news was broadcast on the Deutschlandfunk program on 11 June 2026.