Trump says peace deal with Iran is imminent
President Donald Trump on Saturday announced what he described as a near-finalized agreement among the U.S., Iran and several Middle Eastern intermediaries aimed at ending a monthslong war that has destabilized global shipping routes, rattled energy markets and fueled fears of broader economic fallout.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had convened a call from the Oval Office with leaders from Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, writing, “An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries, as listed.”
It remains unclear whether the agreement will involve formal limitations on Iran’s nuclear program, missile development or regional proxy activity — the core sticking points that had threatened to derail negotiations throughout the spring.
“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump wrote.
Trump did preview that the agreement would include a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a major priority for the White House and Gulf state allies after months of disruptions to global energy markets and commercial shipping traffic.
Trump revealed that he had a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “which, likewise, went very well.”
The announcement is the most significant moment in the war since he first announced a ceasefire early in April, bringing the most active and frenzied period of the fighting thus far to an abrupt but shaky close.
And it’s sure to frustrate influential figures within the GOP, who have urged the president to press on in his military campaign against Tehran and have expressed skepticism that Iran would truly relinquish its grip on the strait.
“A deal that is perceived to allow Iran to survive and possess the ability to control the Strait in the future will put Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Shia militias in Iraq on steroids,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who has long cheered the military action in the Middle East, wrote on X Saturday.
Iran has continually asserted control over the strait since the ceasefire teed off. The U.S. Navy responded with its own blockade of Iranian ships in the corridor in April.
“The rumored 60-day ceasefire — with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith — would be a disaster,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) wrote on Saturday. “Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!”
Conservative media commentators also urged the president to refrain from entering into a peace agreement — at least, not yet. Talk show host Hugh Hewitt shared a quote from famed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who said in 1940 that wars “are not won by evacuations.”
“History teaches us that peace deals are best made after the enemy is defeated or surrendered,” wrote Mark Levin on X.
But despite the protestations from some of Trump’s allies, the diplomatic effort appeared to accelerate rapidly this weekend, when Trump confirmed he’d spent Saturday at the White House speaking with a slate of Middle Eastern leaders. The sudden flurry of calls Saturday underscored the administration’s often contradictory approach to the conflict, as Trump and his advisers spent weeks simultaneously threatening further military action while insisting a diplomatic breakthrough remained within reach.
Earlier Saturday, Trump told Axios it was a “solid 50/50” as to whether he would be able to make a “good” deal or else “blow them to kingdom come,” and actions from U.S. leaders sparked speculation that there was imminent movement on the Iran front.
Trump announced on Truth Social Friday that he would be skipping the weekend wedding festivities of his son, Donald Trump Jr., and remaining at the White House due to “circumstances pertaining to Government,” and Vice President JD Vance’s motorcade rolled into the White House early in the afternoon. The president had no public events on his calendar on Saturday.
المصدر: Politico