U.S. President Donald Trump announced the cancellation of scheduled strikes against Iran this evening, stating that negotiations had reached the highest levels of the Iranian leadership. 

"Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. 

He affirmed that the naval blockade would remain in place until the transaction was finalized, adding that the schedule and venue for the signing ceremony would be released in the near future.

Trump earlier threatened that the United States would strike Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT.” He indicated that the U.S. “at some point” in the future will control Iran’s oil infrastructure points and Kharg Island.

U.S.-Iran Escalation Challenges Fragile Ceasefire 

The fragile regional ceasefire, which had been loosely held through Pakistani mediation, faced severe challenges following intense military escalations after Iranian forces shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter.

In rapid retaliation, the U.S. military launched massive airstrikes against 20 strategic targets across southern Iran, prompting Iranian forces to strike back at U.S. bases in neighboring countries and close the critical Strait of Hormuz.

Iran warned that the U.S. attacks were “damaging this diplomatic process” aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution. 

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday that Islamabad remains actively engaged in mediating an end to the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict despite a renewed surge in hostilities, with spokesman Tahir Andrabi urging stakeholders not to lose hope in a negotiated settlement. 

Iran Warns ‘Impulsive’ Actions Will Explode Energy Markets 

Meanwhile, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stressed that “wrong strategies” would severely disrupt regional stability and collapse global energy markets.

Ghalibaf wrote on X on Thursday that, “Impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years.”

“You will see a different Iran,” he added.