Trump says Iran deal near after second day of US strikes and attacks

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Commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz came under apparent threat Thursday night after Iran launched drones toward vessels transiting the strategic waterway, according to a senior U.S. defense official.

The incident occurred as President Donald Trump continued to express optimism about a pending agreement with Tehran and repeatedly declared that the conflict had effectively come to an end.

"It appears Iran has attempted to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz tonight," the official said. "U.S. forces shot down two Iranian one-way attack drones."

The official said maritime traffic through the Strait continues despite the attempted attacks.

The development comes hours after Trump said a deal with Iran could be signed within days and that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen as part of the agreement.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump declared Thursday that the conflict with Iran has ended, telling supporters during a tele-rally for Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, a Republican candidate for governor, that Tehran has agreed to forgo nuclear weapons.

Addressing voters ahead of Tuesday's Georgia runoff election, Trump pointed to the Iran negotiations as one of the administration's latest foreign policy achievements.

"I don't know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today, and they have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon, something that we insisted on," Trump said. "That was the whole purpose."

The president added that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon was "95%" of the reason behind the administration's pressure campaign against Tehran.

Jones echoed Trump's optimism about the negotiations, thanking the president for his handling of the situation.

"Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you for all your hard work on the Iran situation," Jones said. "I know you're glad to get that settled, and we appreciate all that you do for this country."

Iran publicly pushed back Thursday on President Donald Trump's claims that a deal is nearing completion, saying key issues remain unresolved and no final agreement has been reached.

According to Reuters, citing Iran's state-run IRNA news agency, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran has not made a final decision on any potential agreement with the U.S. and will not compromise on the country's "red lines" during negotiations.

Baghaei also dismissed reports about a signing ceremony, saying speculation about a time and place for an agreement was premature because nothing has been finalized.

The comments come hours after Trump said negotiators were in the final stages of an agreement that could be signed in Europe within days and suggested all sides had approved its framework.

Separately, The Hormuz Letter reported that Iran's Foreign Ministry rejected Trump's assertion that Iran's leadership had approved the deal, citing remarks carried by the Fars News Agency that "no agreement has been reached" and that any eventual accord would require the United States to accept Iran's demands.

Despite the public disagreement, Baghaei acknowledged that a substantial portion of the negotiating text had been completed, while accusing Washington of repeatedly changing its positions during the talks.

Reports circulating on social media of explosions in Iran do not appear to be tied to new U.S. military action, according to a U.S. official familiar with ongoing operations.

The clarification came after reports on X claimed explosions had been heard in Bandar Abbas and other locations across Iran, prompting speculation that the U.S. may have resumed airstrikes.

A U.S. official told Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin that U.S. Central Command is not conducting airstrikes and continues to maintain the current ceasefire posture.

The update comes as the Trump administration pushes toward a potential agreement with Tehran after days of military escalation and renewed diplomatic engagement.

Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.

Wall Street rallied and oil prices fell Thursday after President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran could be signed within days, raising hopes that tensions in the Middle East may soon ease.

During remarks in the Oval Office, Trump said negotiators are nearing an agreement and suggested a signing ceremony could take place in Europe as soon as this weekend.

"We have a signing soon," Trump said, adding that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen once the agreement is finalized.

The comments appeared to boost investor confidence, with major stock indexes climbing while oil prices moved sharply lower. Fox Business' Liz Claman noted that both West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude extended their losses following Trump's remarks.

The market reaction came despite renewed military hostilities earlier this week, including U.S. strikes against Iranian targets and threats of additional action before Trump later announced he had canceled planned attacks after claiming progress in negotiations.

Neither Iran nor Israel had immediately confirmed Trump's latest characterization of the talks, though the president said he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and remained confident a deal would be completed soon.

Kharg Island is the crown jewel of Iran’s oil industry. This tiny coral island handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports. The island has terminals for loading ships with up to 6 million barrels per day and can store 30 million barrels of crude oil and. Of course, it’s under the control of the loathsome Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, who mix money and terror.

"Maybe we take Kharg Island, maybe we don’t. We have a lot of options," President Donald Trump told the Financial Times back on March 29. Then on Thursday, Trump bandied about a U.S. military seizure of Kharg Island. Clearly, it remains at the top of the list for strike options.

Can you imagine Iran’s oil spigot in Trump’s hands?

Just the credible threat of seizing the oil export terminals on Kharg Island might be enough to make even Iran’s hardliners sign Trump’s deal.

Find out more about the weapons that could have the biggest impact on Kharg Island.

This is an excerpt from an opinion piece by Dr. Rebecca Grant, Vice President of the Lexington Institute.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered his strongest public endorsement yet of the emerging U.S.-Iran diplomatic framework on Thursday, signaling confidence that President Donald Trump is pursuing terms that address Israel's core security concerns.

Following a call between the two leaders, Netanyahu's office said Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding currently being developed with Iran.

However, the prime minister welcomed Trump's assurances that any final agreement would require Tehran to eliminate key components of its nuclear program, limit missile development and end support for terrorist proxy groups throughout the Middle East.

“President Trump spoke this evening with Prime Minister Netanyahu about the memorandum of understanding being formulated with Iran as a framework for entering negotiations,” a translated statement from Netanyahu’s office read.

“Although Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding, the Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for President Trump’s commitment that any final agreement reached at the conclusion of the negotiations will include the removal of enriched nuclear material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and an end to Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region.”

Fox News' Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has agreed not to develop or acquire nuclear weapons under a pending agreement that currently exists as a memorandum of understanding, offering new details about negotiations he says could conclude within days.

Trump offered the clearest description yet of the proposed agreement's nuclear provisions, arguing that Tehran has committed to permanently abandoning any effort to obtain a nuclear weapon.

"They will not purchase, develop in any way, shape or form a nuclear weapon," Trump said while speaking with reporters in the Oval Office. "They will not have a nuclear weapon."

The president acknowledged the agreement has not yet been formally signed, describing it instead as a detailed memorandum of understanding between the parties.

"There's a very strong memorandum of understanding that is a little conceptual, but it's something that's going to get done," Trump said. "It's a very detailed memorandum of understanding."

President Donald Trump said Thursday that lifting the U.S. blockade against Iran is a formal component of a pending agreement with Tehran, offering the clearest indication yet of what the administration expects to provide in exchange for concessions.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked whether the United States would immediately lift the blockade once an agreement is signed.

"Yes. That's true. It's part of the deal," Trump responded.

The comment expands on Trump's earlier statement that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen after an agreement is finalized, suggesting the administration has already negotiated terms governing the future of the blockade.

Trump has repeatedly argued that the blockade helped pressure Iran into negotiations, while administration officials and Republican allies have stressed that maintaining leverage over Tehran would be critical to enforcing any future agreement.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that a deal to end the conflict with Iran is nearly complete, adding that negotiators are finalizing documents and could sign an agreement in Europe within days.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump declared that negotiators had reached a breakthrough and suggested the agreement was largely finished pending completion of final paperwork.

"We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran," Trump said. "The documents are in pretty final shape, so we'll see. It should be done pretty quickly."

Trump said the agreement would ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, which he described as the central objective of the administration's pressure campaign against Tehran.

The president also said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen once the agreement is signed, potentially easing pressure on global energy markets after weeks of military tensions and maritime disruptions in the region.

Trump added that Vice President JD Vance is expected to attend the signing ceremony, which he said could take place in Europe as soon as this weekend.

A fragile ceasefire that many Iranians say does not feel like one has given some people inside Iran the courage to speak out, despite what they describe as enormous personal risk.

The accounts come as President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran "very hard" if Iran does not accept a U.S.-backed deal, after renewed military escalation threatened to derail already fragile negotiations. The latest round of U.S. strikes followed the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump blamed on the Iranian regime. Iran later reportedly retaliated with attacks in the region.

Inside Iran, three young voices described a country where repression is becoming even more visible, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is expanding its presence on the streets, and ordinary people are struggling to afford basic necessities.

All three spoke to Fox News Digital through written messages because of security concerns and internet restrictions inside Iran. Their names have been changed to protect their identities.

Find out more about what Iranians said about the situation in their country.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter.

After months of predicting a nuclear deal with Iran was just around the corner, President Donald Trump appears to be testing whether military pressure can accomplish what diplomacy alone has not.

The strategy was on full display over the past 24 hours. Trump followed through on his threat to strike Iran again overnight, launching a barrage of Tomahawk missiles and fighter jet attacks against Iranian targets while warning that additional bombing would follow unless Iran agreed to a deal. Hours later, however, he announced he had canceled planned strikes for Thursday evening, saying negotiations had been elevated to the highest levels of Iran's leadership and that the parties had approved the final contours of an agreement.

The rapid sequence of threats, strikes and renewed diplomacy highlights an increasingly familiar pattern in Trump's approach to Iran: using military pressure to push negotiations forward while keeping a diplomatic off-ramp open. The question is whether the strategy is increasing Washington's leverage — or reinforcing Iran's belief that the United States ultimately wants a deal more than continued confrontation.

"He has made so many threats that he has not carried through on and telegraphed on many occasions his strong desire to end this war as soon as possible, that I think Iran does not take these threats seriously," Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told Fox News Digital.

Find out what else Eisenstadt said about the situation with Iran.

This is an excerpt from a story by Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., defended President Donald Trump's approach to Iran on Thursday, arguing the administration must keep pressure on Tehran while pursuing a potential agreement aimed at preventing the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The North Dakota Republican told reporters that the administration's blockade and military pressure campaign have been effective in pushing Iran toward negotiations, while stressing that any deal must be enforceable.

"Think about who we're dealing with. We're dealing with Iran. They never, ever keep their word," Hoeven said. "You've got the Revolutionary Guard, you've got the ayatollahs, and then you've got their parliament. Who even speaks for the country? So it's a very difficult situation."

Hoeven's comments came after Trump announced he had canceled planned strikes against Iran on Thursday evening, claiming negotiations had advanced to the highest levels of Iran's leadership and that the sides were nearing an agreement.

"But remember, no matter what we do or whatever kind of agreement they sign, you've got to be able to enforce it," Hoeven said. "And so the blockade and these other measures are about making sure that we can enforce whatever agreement we get."

President Donald Trump says he has canceled plans to carry out further attacks against Iran on Thursday, claiming to have made progress in talks with leaders in Tehran.

"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 have, as President of the United States of America, cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening. 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. The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized — Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Trump had previously announced a heavy wave of strikes against Iran earlier Thursday. It would have been the third consecutive day of U.S. attacks.

This is an excerpt from an opinion article by Robert Maginnis senior fellow for National Security at the Family Research Council.

In the months leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, I served as a strategist at the Pentagon, where I had unusual access to military thinking, intelligence assessments, and senior-level discussions. I regularly attended meetings hosted by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Richard Myers.

From the outside, it looked like Washington spoke with one confident voice. The Bush administration telegraphed certainty, and much of the media echoed it.

That was not my view.

The more information I received, the more questions I asked. What would victory look like? How many troops would be required? What would follow after Baghdad fell? Were we prepared for a prolonged occupation? Did we fully understand the political, tribal, religious, and regional forces we were about to unleash?

Those questions were swept aside by confidence in America's military superiority.

The regime fell quickly. The war did not.

What followed cost America more than 4,400 military deaths, over 32,000 wounded, and more than two trillion dollars. The conflict created the conditions that gave rise to ISIS, a threat that still plagues the region.

One hundred days into the Iran war, I find myself asking many of those same questions again.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Ct., suggested President Donald Trump could start another world war with his actions in Iran on Thursday.

Blumenthal made the statement while discussing issues with reporters on at the capitol, arguing Trump is "no longer in control" of the conflict.

"We are no longer in any kind of cease fire, even in name, there is no cease fire. There is a war. The danger now more than ever is that this war will spiral out of control. What we're seeing in real time is the kind of miscalculation that caused World War One. What we are, what we're seeing now in real time is the potential for miscalculations spiraling out of control, just as World War One began, just as other conflagrations have started, and the President is no longer in control, he is no longer a guiding force here, he is reactive and indecisive and impulsive, and that is a recipe for disaster," Blumenthal said.

"We are watching disaster unfold in real time with the gravest of costs and consequences to the American people, and most immediately to brave service men and women right now in harm's way," he added.

Fox News senior strategic analyst Gen. Jack Keane (Ret.) joined Fox News on Thursday to speak on President Donald Trump's warning to Iran of "hitting very hard" amid stalled negotiations to open the Strait of Hormuz and disarm their nuclear program.

Trump is threatening full re-escalation after weeks of a ceasefire with Tehran.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted President Donald Trump's statement calling for the U.S. to take over Iran's Kharg Island on Thursday.

Schumer made the statement while speaking on the Senate floor, calling the war in Iran a "fiasco."

"On Iran for weeks, Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio have insisted their disastrous war in Iran is over. How stupid do they think the American people are? This morning, Trump said he plans to take Kharg Island, which could even mean putting American boots on the ground," Schumer said.

"It doesn't take a military genius to see that Trump's fiasco of a war with Iran never ended. Not when American, not with American helicopters being shot down. Not when American when American bases are being attacked and American troops are coming under fire," he added.