Trump cancels planned US strikes on Iran, cites preliminary peace deal

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said Thursday he had canceled planned US airstrikes on Iran scheduled for that night, announcing a preliminary agreement toward a broader peace in the region. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said negotiations had reached Iran's senior leadership and received its approval. Trump said the agreement had been endorsed by the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt. He added that a naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain fully in effect until the deal is formally completed, and that the date and location of a signing ceremony would be announced soon. Earlier, the US president had said US forces would take full control of Iran's oil and gas facilities and seize Kharg Island and other energy sites. Those remarks came after two days of mutual US-Iranian military strikes following the downing of a US Apache attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.