United States President Donald Trump announced this evening (Thursday) that a "wonderful agreement" is expected to be signed in the coming days that will ensure that Iran will not possess nuclear weapons.
The president also announced that he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a statement from the White House, Trump said the signing is expected to take place in Europe, possibly as early as this weekend. "The signing may be this weekend. I won't be able to be there, but Vice President Vance and Envoy Witkoff will be there," he said. He said the document was in the "final stages of drafting.".
The announcement comes hours after President Trump announced that he had canceled the attacks and bombings planned to be carried out on Iran during the coming night - hours after threatening military action.
In a message he posted on his social media, Trump wrote that the talks with Iran reached the highest levels of the country's leadership and received their approval.
The president wrote in the post: "Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I, as President of the United States of America, have canceled the planned strikes and bombings against Iran tonight.".
""The discussions and final points were approved, both conceptually and in many details, by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others.".
""The naval blockade will remain in full force until the deal is completed. The time and place of the signing will be announced soon.".
American and regional sources familiar with the details of the mediation told the New York Post that Iran had completed drafting its final draft of the agreement and had transmitted it to the United States via Qatar.
""The text of the agreement was finalized and agreed upon Wednesday evening," said a regional source close to the Iranian leadership. "Doha has been in continuous contact with Tehran and Washington to advance the understandings. If final approval is given, the process of implementing the agreement will begin.".
An American source involved in the Qatari mediation efforts also confirmed that the draft agreement had indeed been submitted.
At this stage, the full details of the emerging agreement are still unknown.
However, the Iranian news agency Tasnim initially denied the report and ridiculed the president: "Trump has stated 38 times that a deal is imminent. In just three days, he 'imaginarily' sent his deputy to Pakistan four times. As long as Iran does not itself announce the existence of a possible understanding or agreement, Trump's reports on the subject must be viewed in the context of his previous lies.".
However, the Iranian Fars News Agency later reported: "Considering that the US agreed to the text proposed by Iran, the likelihood that the text will be approved by Iran is high." It was further clarified: "The agreement has not yet been finally approved.".
