War in the Middle East: Donald Trump discusses "signature" upcoming agreement with Iran and cancels the strikes planned for Thursday evening

In a new about-face, Donald said on Thursday June 11 that he was canceling the strikes with which he threatened Iran the same day, ensuring that all that remained was to find “the date and place” for the “signing” of an agreement with Tehran. “Taking note of the fact that the discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been seen and approved by the highest Iranian authorities, I have (…) canceled the strikes and bombings which were planned against Iran this evening”, wrote the American president on his Truth network Social.

“The discussions and final points were, in principle and in detail, approved by all stakeholders including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and others,” he continued, adding that the port blockade Iranians would remain in place until the “transaction is finalized”. “The date and location of the signing will be announced soon,” assured the American president.

Iran has not yet made its decision

Shortly after, the American president assured that a “very good agreement” had been reached with Iran and mentioned a possible signature in Europe in the coming days, “once the documents are finalized.” The American president, who spoke in the Oval Office, indicated that he would not attend this signing, which he said could take place as early as “this weekend” in the presence of Vice-President JD Vance.

Donald Trump also affirmed that Iranian Supreme Guide Mojtaba Khamenei had validated what the American president described as a “framework agreement” (“memorandum of understanding”) with the United States. “From what I understand, the answer is yes,” he replied, when a journalist asked him if the Iranian leader had validated the compromise between Washington and Tehran.

But on the Iranian side, the Fars news agency, citing an anonymous source, indicated that Tehran had not approved any text on a possible agreement with the United States. “No text has been approved for an initial memorandum of understanding with the United States,” Fars wrote, citing a source described as well-informed and close to the Iranian negotiating team. Later in the evening, the Iranian Foreign Ministry clarified that it had not yet made a final decision on the agreement.

I don’t want to have ground troops but if I wanted we could put a small group of soldiers and take over the whole country

Donald Trump

He threatened on Thursday to strike Iran “very hard” and take control of the country’s oil infrastructure, including its main terminal, Kharg Island.
“The United States is going to hit Iran (…) VERY HARD this evening,” declared the American president on his Truth Social platform.

The about-face recalls the spectacular turnaround made by the Republican billionaire on April 7, when he threatened in the morning to annihilate the entire Iranian “civilization”, only to finally announce a ceasefire in the evening. Donald Trump assured Thursday in a morning interview with the Fox News channel that there would be “new bombings tonight”, “more powerful”. “In the not too distant future, we will take Kharg Island, as well as other oil infrastructure, and take full control of their oil and gas markets,” he wrote earlier today on Truth Social. The American president did not give any details on the possible sending of American troops on the ground to carry out this operation.

In his interview with Fox News, he was, as often, ambiguous. Regarding the takeover of Kharg Island, he said that this option had always been his “preference”, but added: “I don’t know if America has the guts for that, honestly”, adding that the Americans would prefer that the troops “go home”. “I don’t want to have troops on the ground but if I wanted, we could put a small group of soldiers and take control of the whole country,” he assured, once again criticizing the coverage, according to him, of the conflict being defeatist by the American media.

Donald Trump had already previously mentioned taking control of the island of Kharg, a strip of bushy land located in the north of the Gulf, about 30 kilometers from the Iranian coast, which is home to Iran’s largest oil terminal, ensuring around 90% of its crude exports, according to a recent note from the American bank JP Morgan. It had already been the target in mid-March of “one of the most powerful air raids in history in the Middle East”, according to Donald Trump, who assured that he had destroyed “all military targets” there.