Trump hails Iran breakthrough, but Tehran says final decision still pending

Just hours after threatening to unleash fresh military strikes on Iran and seize key energy infrastructure, US President Donald Trump dramatically shifted course on Thursday, proclaiming that a deal to end the war was within reach and could be signed in Europe as early as this weekend.

Yet even as Trump painted the picture of a conflict nearing its final chapter, Tehran signalled that the story remains unfinished.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump declared that a sweeping agreement with Iran was "nearly complete" and described it as a detailed memorandum of understanding that would soon be formalised. The President said Vice President J.D. Vance could attend the signing ceremony and revealed that he had consulted regional leaders from Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and Pakistan as diplomatic efforts intensified.

"It's a very strong memorandum of understanding. It's very detailed. There would be a signing very quickly," Trump said.

Later, at a tele-rally in support of Georgia Lt Governor Burt Jones, Trump went even further, claiming that the conflict had effectively ended.

"We ended the war with Iran today," he declared. "They have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon. That was the whole purpose."

But while Washington celebrated a diplomatic breakthrough, Iran struck a more cautious note, indicating that no final decision had yet been taken on the proposed agreement. The gap between Trump's confident declarations and Tehran's measured response underscored the uncertainty still hanging over negotiations.

The abrupt turn to diplomacy came after a day marked by extraordinary swings in rhetoric.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump had threatened to hit Iran "very hard" and warned that the United States could take control of Kharg Island, Iran's principal oil export hub, along with other strategic energy assets.

"At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points and assume total control of their oil and gas markets," Trump had warned.

Yet within hours, the president announced he was calling off the planned strikes.

In a social media post, Trump said he had halted military action "based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved."

The dramatic policy reversal unfolded against the backdrop of a widening maritime crisis in the Gulf region.

A day after US forces attacked the tanker Settebello, another commercial vessel, MV Jalveer, was struck under similar circumstances near Oman. The Guinea-Bissau-flagged asphalt tanker became the third vessel targeted in just four days, raising fears of a broader disruption to global shipping routes.

The human cost of the conflict also deepened. Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal confirmed that all three missing Indian seafarers aboard a tanker hit in the Gulf of Oman had died following a US military strike. India responded by summoning the US deputy chief of mission and lodging what it described as a "strong protest" over the attack.

Against this volatile backdrop, Trump insisted that Iran had bowed to pressure.

"They've taken a pounding like very few people could take — and they want to make the deal a lot more than I do," he said.

He further claimed that Iran had agreed to permanently abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons, a commitment he portrayed as the central achievement of the negotiations.

Still, with Tehran yet to endorse Trump's version of events and no formal agreement signed, the question remains unresolved: has Washington secured a landmark diplomatic victory, or is the world witnessing another fragile pause in a conflict that refuses to end on anyone's timetable?