Trump Calls Off Iran Strikes, Says Settlement Reached as Tehran Stays Silent

WASHINGTON

By Emma Smith

President Trump said the U.S. "ended the war with Iran" and called off planned strikes, claiming a deal could be signed within days. Tehran has not confirmed.

President Trump announced he has called off planned U.S. military strikes against Iran and said Washington has reached what he described as a "settlement" with Tehran that could be formally signed as early as this weekend, according to live updates Wednesday night from CNN, CBS News, BBC and the Associated Press.

The Iranian government had not confirmed any agreement as of late Wednesday, CNN reported, leaving the substance and durability of Mr. Trump's announcement unclear.

The president's comments capped a turbulent 24 hours that began with Mr. Trump threatening what he called a "very hard" attack on Iranian targets, the BBC reported, then reversing course within hours and saying the U.S. had "ended the war with Iran." The Associated Press separately reported that Mr. Trump had "cancelled" a fresh round of strikes that had been planned for Wednesday night.

CBS News reported that Mr. Trump told reporters a "settlement" had been reached and that a signing event could occur "as soon as this weekend." The president did not specify the location of the proposed signing, the negotiating parties on the Iranian side, or the terms of the agreement.

Iranian officials did not immediately respond to the president's characterization. Iran's foreign ministry, in earlier comments cited by Western news organizations during this round of negotiations, had accused the administration of putting forward "excessive demands."

Wall Street treated the announcement as substantive. CNBC reported that the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose roughly 900 points on the day after Mr. Trump's comments, with oil prices falling. Bloomberg characterized the market reaction as a "stocks bounce, oil falls" pattern consistent with traders treating the threat of broader Middle East conflict as having receded. Yahoo Finance, however, noted in a separate update that the U.S. had completed a "fresh round of Iran strikes" before the cancellation announcement, indicating the timeline of de-escalation remained in flux.

The disconnect between the president's claim of a settlement and the absence of Iranian confirmation is the question that will dominate coverage in the coming days. Mr. Trump has, in earlier rounds of foreign-policy announcements, declared diplomatic breakthroughs that subsequent reporting and counterparty statements substantially complicated. Whether the current Iran framework follows that pattern or holds will likely be decided by what, if anything, Tehran says publicly in the next 48 hours.

Separately, the president attended a series of medical appointments on Wednesday — 22 specialist visits, according to a Washington Post report — that the paper said set a new bar for presidents in terms of formal medical attention received during a single day. The White House declined to provide details about what conditions were being evaluated.

The Iran announcement landed alongside an unusual cluster of other White House activities. AP News reported that the South Lawn of the executive residence has been reconfigured to accommodate a UFC-style cage match scheduled as part of Mr. Trump's 80th birthday celebration, with CNN separately documenting that the staging budget for the event has reached $60 million and that the logistical preparations include 494 portable toilets. The BBC, in a tour of the venue Wednesday, called the production "highly complex." It is the first time the White House grounds have been used to host a mixed martial arts event.

For the Iran framework specifically, the next concrete signal will be whatever statement, if any, Iranian state media puts out in the morning. If Tehran confirms the existence of an agreement and a planned weekend signing, the administration will have moved its Middle East posture significantly within a single 24-hour window. If Iran disputes the characterization or stays silent through the weekend, the question becomes whether the president's announcement reflects an actual negotiated outcome or a unilateral declaration that the Iranian government may or may not validate.

The administration has not released the text of any draft framework or said which countries, if any, are serving as intermediaries in the current round of talks. Sustainable verification of any nuclear-related commitments — historically the core question in U.S.-Iran negotiations — has not been publicly addressed by either side in the most recent statements.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Wednesday extended a previously announced flight advisory affecting U.S. carriers operating in the broader Gulf region, suggesting that the operational posture of the U.S. military and aviation authorities has not yet shifted to match the president's diplomatic characterization. The Pentagon declined to comment on whether the cancellation of Wednesday night's planned strikes reflects a longer-term de-escalation or a tactical pause pending Iranian confirmation of the framework.

The president is scheduled to return to the White House Thursday morning.