President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had cancelled planned strikes on Iran and that a "great settlement" had been reached, stating that "discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved" [3][5]. Hours later, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that "so far, Iran has not reached a final conclusion on the agreement" and that Iran "will not compromise on its red lines" [10][12]. The contradiction between the two positions — Trump declaring the war effectively ended and Tehran denying any finalized text — defined the day's coverage across more than a dozen countries.
Trump said a memorandum of understanding had been endorsed by multiple nations, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and Israel, and that a signing ceremony could take place "over the weekend in Europe" [24][3]. He told the New York Post that the deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz upon signing and that the US naval blockade would remain in place until then [5][27]. At a tele-rally, he declared: "We ended the war with Iran today," adding that he had personally secured a clause prohibiting Iran from purchasing, not only developing, nuclear weapons — "They had a clause they won't develop. I said, 'What about purchasing?'" [25][31].
Baghaei, speaking to reporters, said "the problem is that the contradictions in America's position has caused turbulence to this process" and that while "a large part of the text is finalized," no final decision had been taken [23][4]. Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency quoted an unnamed source denying that any document or memorandum had been agreed upon, and noted that Trump had made similar announcements at least 38 times since the war began [4][24]. Iran's Foreign Ministry separately stated that the latest US attacks had "effectively rendered the ceasefire … meaningless" without formally terminating the April 8 agreement [23][30].
The announcement followed two days of tit-for-tat strikes. US Central Command said it had fired "precision munitions on Iranian targets that posed a threat to US forces and international commercial ships" [6]. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated it had struck 18 US military targets across bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan [20][6]. Bahrain's interior ministry reported that an 11-year-old girl was injured and homes were damaged by debris from intercepted Iranian drones [10][12]. Kuwait's armed forces said 24 Iranian drones had entered its airspace in two days, causing "limited material damage without any human casualties" [24].
Iranian military commanders issued warnings that further US strikes would provoke a response beyond the Middle East. General Ali Abdollahi, commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said: "We warn that if America attempts to launch further attacks against brave Iran, it will face a stronger response than before, and the flames of war will spread not only across the region, but throughout the world" [20]. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that "wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire" [5][6]. Majid Mousavi, head of the IRGC's aerospace force, stated: "Are you making the sacred Strait of Hormuz unsafe?! We will make the region hell for you" [21].
Some US congressional Republicans opposed the diplomatic track. Representative Don Bacon said: "If we're gonna get an agreement that's good, we've got to break their will," arguing that Trump appeared too eager for a deal [15]. Senator Joni Ernst stated that "the Iranians don't negotiate in good faith" and asserted the president had authority to wage war without congressional authorization [15].
Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel was not a party to the memorandum of understanding but expressed appreciation for Trump's commitment that any final agreement would include the removal of enriched nuclear material, destruction of nuclear infrastructure, limits on missile production, and cessation of Iranian support for proxy groups [4][5][10].
India lodged a formal diplomatic protest after three Indian sailors were killed when US forces struck the Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello near the Strait of Hormuz [33][24]. Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called the deaths a "profound loss to our maritime family" [24]. The International Maritime Organization condemned the strike [23]. Hindi-language coverage framed Indian sailors as repeated collateral victims of a conflict in which they have no part [41].
The Strait of Hormuz remained closed. Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority stated it "will be closed until further notice" due to "the aggression of the American forces" [6]. South Korea's Yonhap reported that two dozen South Korean vessels remained trapped in the strait, through which over 90 percent of the country's crude oil imports pass [18][43]. Pakistan's Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik said Dubai crude had reached $170 per barrel and domestic fuel prices were at historic highs [42]. The World Bank revised its global growth forecast to 2.5 percent, a level not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic, warning that the energy shock would hit developing countries hardest [24][4]. In African fuel-importing nations, rationing was reported [40].
Markets responded to Trump's announcement: oil prices dropped below $90 per barrel and the Nasdaq rose more than 2 percent [8]. Ray Attrill, head of FX strategy at National Australia Bank, said "this does look perhaps a bit more tangible than we have had" but that positive confirmation from Iran would be needed to increase the odds of a deal [24].
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the US and Iran to return to full implementation of the April ceasefire, warning that further violence could "trigger a full resumption of the conflict, with unpredictable consequences for the region and the world" [10][22]. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said "a return to full-scale war would come at a tremendous cost to the entire region" [5]. Saudi Arabia called for a return to Pakistani- and Qatari-led mediation [6]. Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani spoke with Trump by phone and welcomed efforts to resolve disputes through dialogue [28]. Russia, China, and Pakistan circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution condemning US strikes on Iran and calling for an immediate ceasefire [45].
VnExpress reported that a Qatari delegation had returned from Tehran with Iran's acceptance of the latest draft agreement, but that final approval awaited the Supreme Leader, identified by VnExpress as Mojtaba Khamenei [17]. A diplomat cited by The Guardian assessed the probability of the deal collapsing at 50 percent, with unresolved issues including frozen Iranian assets and the Lebanon conflict [10]. European leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron, expressed concern that the deal was being rushed and might be insufficiently robust [39].