President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he had cancelled planned military strikes on Iran, despite earlier threats to hit Kharg Island and other critical oil facilities.

The decision came only hours after he warned that the United States would strike Iran “very hard tonight.”

He explained that the halt followed high-level agreements reached with Iranian leaders and other key nations, though the naval blockade imposed by Washington would remain in place until the deal was finalised.

Trump stated on Truth Social that discussions had been elevated to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved. He emphasised that the agreements had been endorsed not only by the United States and Iran but also by Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and other regional players.

He confirmed that the naval blockade would continue in full force until the transaction was completed, with the time and place of the signing to be announced shortly.

Earlier in the day, Trump had reiterated his warning that the United States was prepared to strike Iran very hard amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to secure a peace deal. He declared that the strikes were planned for that evening, underscoring Washington’s readiness to escalate military action if negotiations faltered.

He also revealed that in the near future, the United States intended to take control of Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal, along with other oil infrastructure, in order to dominate Tehran’s oil and gas markets.

In his post, Trump drew a comparison with Venezuela, claiming that US control of its oil resources had worked “brilliantly” for both Venezuela and the United States. He suggested that a similar approach in Iran would yield comparable benefits. He further repeated his assertion that Iran’s military capabilities had been destroyed, insisting that its Navy, Air Force, radar, anti-aircraft systems, and most offensive assets were gone.

The President’s remarks highlighted the dual strategy of maintaining maximum pressure through the naval blockade while simultaneously pursuing high-level diplomatic agreements.

His cancellation of the strikes suggested that Washington was willing to pause military escalation in favour of securing a broader regional consensus, though the threat of force remained firmly on the table should negotiations collapse.

ANI