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• Get the latest updates on the war with Iran here.
Key developments
• Trump touts progress: President Donald Trump claimed the US has “ended the war with Iran,” after earlier Thursday announcing a “great settlement” that he said would resolve the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said Vice President JD Vance could attend a signing ceremony in Europe in the coming days.
• No confirmation from Tehran: Despite Trump’s pronouncement, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has said the country did not yet reach a final decision on any agreement, according to state media. The spokesperson said reports of a deal were “merely speculation.”
• Recent escalations: Trump vowed earlier Thursday to take Kharg Island, which handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports. Tehran said it targeted US bases in the region overnight for a second consecutive day, following US strikes across Iran.
Iranian hardliner suspects deception in Trump claim a deal is close
A hardline senior lawmaker in Iran has warned that President Donald Trump may be acting deceptively in announcing a “great settlement” to end the war, instead urging Iran to continue its attacks.
“The probability of deception by Trump is high,” said lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, in a post on X. He added that the US president instead “wants to keep the situation calm for now.”
Rezaei said Iran should instead “strike harder, destroy and annihilate the enemy’s infrastructure, economic centers, and artificial intelligence in the region so they feel more pain.”
On Thursday night, Trump claimed he had “ended the war” with Iran and touted a “great settlement,” in a sudden about-turn just hours after he warned of hitting Iran “VERY HARD” and vowed to take Kharg Island –– Iran’s key oil export hub. Trump later said he had canceled those planned strikes.
Rezaei warned the US against attacking Kharg Island in another post, saying “if you come, you will not return alive.”
The tiny island in the Persian Gulf is an economic lifeline for Iran and handles roughly 90% of the country’s crude exports.
Rezaei isn’t the only Iranian hardliner to voice suspicions about the US and of Trump. Throughout the ongoing negotiations, a small but influential hardline faction known as “Jebhe-ye Paydari,” or the Endurance Front, has worked to sabotage a potential deal with the US, viewing such an agreement as capitulation.
Iran war to send global economic growth to weakest pace since pandemic, World Bank says
The ongoing Iran war is projected to slow global economic growth to its weakest pace since the Covid-19 pandemic and renewed hostilities could cause it to slump further, according to a report released by the World Bank on Thursday.
Global economic growth is forecast at 2.5% this year, down from 2.9% in 2025, it said.
“A renewed escalation of hostilities or more prolonged disruptions to commodity flows could further raise commodity prices, intensify inflationary pressures and food insecurity, trigger financial stress, and lower growth.
“If energy supply disruptions prove more severe than assumed and are accompanied by substantial financial stress, global growth could fall to just 1.3% in 2026,” the World Bank added.
Oil, gas and fertilizer prices have spiked as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively blocked.
Because of the Iran war, growth for all developing economies is forecast to be weaker than in 2025. Per capita income across developing countries except China and India is not expected to return to the pre-pandemic level until after 2028, it said.
Iranian state media says footage of simulated nuclear explosion was "editing error"
Iranian state-run broadcaster IRIB aired footage early Friday which appeared to show a simulated nuclear explosion over a city during a news segment. It later said it was an internal mistake.
The 3D graphic shows a bright flash appearing over an unidentified city, before a mushroom cloud rises up amid plumes of smoke. It rattled nerves inside Iran and sparked speculation online that the channel may have been hacked.
IRIB said afterward that “the airing of footage showing a nuclear explosion was the result of an editing error.” The outlet had not been hacked, an IRIB anchor said on air.
"We ended the war with Iran today," Trump says
President Donald Trump claimed that the United States had “ended the war” with Iran today, after asserting earlier that the two sides had agreed to a “very strong memorandum of understanding” to stop the fighting.
“I don’t know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today,” President Donald Trump said on a telerally supporting Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones, who is running for governor. “They have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon, something that we insisted on; that was the whole purpose. That was 95 percent of it.”
The statement from Trump came after he canceled further strikes on Iran earlier today, suggesting on Truth Social an agreement had been reached without detailing its terms.
Iran has not confirmed any agreement has been reached, and Trump said in the social media post that the US blockade of ships going exiting or entering Iranian ports would continue until “this Transaction is finalized.”
Tehran remains skeptical after Trump cancels planned strikes and touts progress
While the Iranians acknowledge President Donald Trump saying he has canceled military action against the country, there still is a good deal of distrust and skepticism.
CNN operates in Iran only with the permission of the government but maintains full editorial control of its reports.
Netanyahu speaks with Trump after his post claiming Israel supports impending Iran deal
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with President Donald Trump Thursday evening after the US president’s post on social media claiming that Israel supported a potential impending agreement with Iran.
But Trump has focused his public comments on dealing with Iran’s enriched uranium; he hasn’t mentioned ballistic missiles or proxies in weeks.
Trump has also declined to put a timeline on negotiations for a final agreement, which first requires a memorandum of understanding to enable subsequent talks.
Trump’s announcement of an imminent agreement on Truth Social caught Netanyahu by surprise as he was meeting with his top security official to discuss Iran.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson tells state media no agreement has been finalized
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA that reports of a finalized agreement with the United States were “merely speculation” and said Tehran had not yet made a final decision on any deal.
Baghaei said Qatar and Pakistan were “active as mediators,” but added that “U.S. actions are affecting the diplomatic process.”
“From the beginning, the status of the negotiations was clear to us, and a large portion of the text had already been finalized. However, the Americans kept changing their positions,” Baghaei said, according to IRNA.
He added that Iran had “proven that it does not compromise on what it has defined as its red lines.”
“So far, Iran has not reached a final decision regarding any agreement,” he said.
He also said the situation in the Strait of Hormuz had become “less secure because of U.S. actions.”
Earlier on Thursday, President Donald Trump said he was canceling the strikes against Iran that he had previewed hours earlier because “final points” of a deal with the country had been approved.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump suggests supreme leader supports agreement
President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that Iran’s new supreme leader supports the agreement, in which he said Tehran has agreed “conceptually” to allow the US to secure nuclear materials and to stop pursuing a nuclear weapon.
“I understand the answer is yes,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when pressed on whether the supreme leader has approved of the agreement, adding that the US will end its blockade immediately once it’s signed.
Trump heralded “a very strong memorandum of understanding,” calling it “a little conceptual,” but insisting Iran had committed to forego pursuing nuclear capabilities.
“They will not have a nuclear weapon, they’ve agreed to that — there will be no, which is the whole reason, which is a big part of the reason,” Trump said. “They will not only not have, they will not purchase, develop in any way, any shape, in any way, shape or form a nuclear weapon.”
And he said he believes negotiators in Iran want a deal “as much as I do, or more.”
What we know about the potential US-Iran peace agreement
President Donald Trump said Thursday he was canceling the strikes against Iran and that the two countries were very close to a peace agreement — one that could be signed as soon as this weekend.
But, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA that reports of a finalized agreement with the US were “merely speculation” and said Tehran had not yet made a final decision on any deal.
Here’s what Trump said today:
- From the Oval Office, Trump trumpeted a “great settlement” that could resolve the war, suggesting it would be finalized in the coming days. He said he anticipated a signing ceremony soon, potentially in Europe, to be attended by Vice President JD Vance.
- The latest military action pushed Tehran to actually agree to a deal this time, Trump said, and that Iran has “taken a pounding like very few people could take, and they want to make a deal a lot more than I do.”
- Trump said it is a “very strong memorandum of understanding,” and called the deal a “little conceptual.” Iran had committed to forego pursing nuclear capabilities, he said, and the US will end its blockade immediately once it’s signed.
What Iran said: Baghaei said “Iran has not reached a final decision regarding any agreement” and that “U.S. actions are affecting the diplomatic process.” Trump, however, suggested Iran’s supreme leader supports the settlement and has agree “conceptually” to allow the US to secure nuclear materials and to top pursing a nuclear weapon.
Who is involved: The United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt as nations involved in the approvals, according to Trump.
What we know about the meetings in Iran: A Qatari delegation had been in Tehran this week for discussions. US officials believe meetings between Iranian and Qatari officials helped resolve some of the remaining sticking points, a person familiar said. Those mediators “hit some breakthroughs,” a source said.
What has the recent timeline looked like: Iran passed along its latest draft of the proposed agreement through Qatari mediators earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the matter. Trump returned a proposed deal with changes nearly two weeks ago, looking to harden some of the language around the nuclear issue.
What the reaction has been: Trump’s post on social media suggesting an imminent agreement surprised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who was in the midst of a security discussion about Iran, according to an Israeli source. Trump later said he spoke to Netanyahu and other Gulf leaders. Meantime, oil prices fell and US stocks moved sharply higher.
CNN’s Kevin Liptak, John Towfighi, Tal Shalev, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Aida Karimi, Kit Maher, Donald Judd and Jeremy Diamond contributed reporting to this report, which has been updated with the latest statement from Iran.
Trump claims latest attacks pushed Iran to accept peace agreement
President Donald Trump said the United States’ latest military action against Iran has pushed Tehran to actually agree to a peace deal this time, after he’s said repeatedly over the past couple months that an agreement is close.
“They’ve taken a pounding, they’ve taken a pounding like very few people could take, and they want to make the deal a lot more than I do,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Thursday. “They got hit very hard recently, as you know, and I don’t like to have to do things that way, but I felt it was necessary.”
Trump has repeatedly suggested before that Iran wants a deal more than the United States, though other times he’s claimed an agreement was close it didn’t come to fruition.
The president said he canceled attacks on Iran tonight because the two sides were close to an agreement. He said that the US explained to Iran exactly what the attacks would look like tonight, before ultimately not going through with them.
“We were hitting them very hard for the last three days, we had them even harder tonight,” Trump said. “There wasn’t a thing they could have done about it, and we won this war militarily very early on.”
Trump touts "great settlement" with Iran, previewing a signing in Europe soon
President Donald Trump trumpeted a “great settlement” that could resolve the war with Iran, suggesting it would be finalized in the coming days.
He said he anticipated a signing ceremony for the document soon, potentially in Europe, to be attended by Vice President JD Vance.
“The documents are pretty final shape, so we’ll see,” he said during an event in the Oval Office on Thursday. “We’ll see.”
“That should be done pretty quickly,” he continued.
He said he’d just spoken to a number of leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gulf nation heads.
Iran weighs adding Elon Musk linked interests in region to its target list, Iranian report
Iran is considering adding business interests linked to Elon Musk across the Middle East to its military target list, after accusing the billionaire’s companies of supporting US and Israeli military operations attacking Iran, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency.
The move comes after “the US and Israeli militaries have used infrastructure managed by Elon Musk, including Starlink,” during the conflict with Iran, according to Fars.
Fars, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also claimed that “Musk’s military assistance to the US military” had previously been disclosed through “projects such as Starshield” and through “the launch of military satellites for activities including Earth observation, encrypted communications, and secure data transfer.”
The Fars report said that “Starlink ground stations located in Israel, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE, and Oman, along with SpaceX shareholders — including infrastructure linked to the two companies Alpha Dhabi and Mubadala — are among the entities reportedly included in Iran’s new target bank.”
Fars also claimed, citing an informed source, that the US military, with support from companies linked to Musk, “had attacked water infrastructure in southern Iran,” and that “Iran reserves the right to strike all facilities associated with holding companies managed by Musk in the region and in Israel.”
Starlink is a satellite internet subsidiary owned entirely by SpaceX. CNN has reached out to the SpaceX media office for comment.
The Iranian threat comes as investors await a highly anticipated SpaceX initial public offering of its stock that would value the company at roughly $1.77 trillion.
Mediators have hit some "breakthroughs" in US-Iran talks, source says, amid Trump post
A source with knowledge of the situation has acknowledged real “breakthroughs” in US-Iran peace negotiations amid a post on social media from US President Donald Trump that an agreement with Tehran is imminent.
The source told CNN that mediators are “cautiously optimistic” about the parties getting a deal over the finish line.
They cited the latest series of discussions held by Qatari negotiators in Tehran on Wednesday and Thursday.
Mediators involved in US-Iran negotiations are signaling that Qatari negotiators’ visit to Tehran yesterday and talks until early morning today helped push it forward despite the tit-for-tat situation, the source said, referring to the latest volleys of strikes.
“Mediators have hit some breakthroughs,” they said.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards cast doubt on Trump's comments on status of agreement
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have cast doubt on US President Donald Trump’s latest remarks that “final points” of an agreement with Tehran had been approved, saying Iranian officials had not confirmed any such deal.
In a statement, the IRGC said that “While Iranian officials have not yet responded to Trump’s claims, the report notes that since the start of the war, Trump has repeatedly made contradictory and inaccurate statements.”
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is closely linked to the IRGC, also reacted to Trump’s latest remarks, saying his statements about progress in negotiations with Tehran should not be taken at face value unless Iran officially announces an agreement.
“Until any potential understanding or agreement is officially announced by Iran, any statements from Trump on this matter should be viewed in the same light as his previous claims and messages,” Tasnim said.
Earlier on Thursday, Trump said he was canceling the strikes against Iran that he had previewed hours earlier because “final points” of a deal had been approved.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump’s social post on agreement with Iran surprises Netanyahu, Israeli source says
President Donald Trump’s post on social media suggesting an imminent agreement with Tehran surprised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who was in the midst of a security discussion about Iran, according to an Israeli source.
Israel was not aware of any impending agreement with Iran, the source told CNN, or of any approval to an agreement, appearing to contradict Trump’s claim on Truth Social.
After two consecutive nights of US strikes on Iran and the threat of more ahead by Trump, Netanyahu had convened a limited security discussion on Thursday night with top security officials and some of his ministers. Trump posted about the potential agreement while he was participating in that discussion.
US officials believe Iran-Qatar meetings this week helped resolve sticking points
US officials believe meetings between Iranian and Qatari officials in Tehran this week helped resolve some of the remaining sticking points in an agreement with the US, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The sticking points included details of how the future negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program will unfold and the sequencing of financial relief for Iran.
Iran passed along its latest draft of the proposed agreement with the United States through Qatari mediators earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Trump had returned a proposed deal with changes nearly two weeks ago, looking to harden some of the language around the nuclear issue. He had been growing frustrated that Iran was taking too long to respond.
But the discussions through Qatar this week helped narrow some of the gaps. US officials had been in frequent contact with the mediators, even as the US and Iran were trading strikes on consecutive days this week.
Still, Trump has voiced optimism about a deal frequently over the last month with nothing materializing.
Oil prices drop and stocks soar after Trump says he's canceling strikes on Iran
Oil prices fell and US stocks moved sharply higher Thursday after US President Donald Trump said he was calling off planned strikes on Iran.
- The Dow surged 810 points, or 1.62%. The jump comes one day after the Dow had its worst day of the year.
- The S&P 500 gained 1.3%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite soared 1.8%.
- Brent crude fell 3.7% to just below $90 per barrel. US crude oil fell 3.6% to just below $87 per barrel.
Traders have been conditioned to “buy the dip” on Trump’s announcements, whether or not meaningful de-escalation is expected.
Traders have been on edge in recent days as tensions between Washington and Tehran flared. The drop in oil prices eased traders’ nerves about inflation, bring US Treasury yields lower.
Trump cancels US strikes, suggesting agreement is close
President Donald Trump said he was canceling the strikes against Iran Thursday night that he’d previewed hours earlier because “final points” of an agreement between the two sides had been approved.
President Donald Trump said he was canceling the strikes against Iran Thursday night that he’d previewed hours earlier because “final points” of an agreement between the two sides had been approved. CNN's Kristen Holmes reports.
“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He said “discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved.”
He listed the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt as nations involved in the approvals.
“The Naval Blockade will remain in full force and effect until this Transaction is finalized,” he said.
“Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly,” he said.
It’s not the first time Trump has suggested a deal with Iran is close, and the assertion has fallen apart previously. But Iran did pass along its latest draft of the proposed agreement with the United States through Qatari mediators earlier this week, according to a person familiar with the matter.
US officials had been in frequent contact with the mediators, even as the US and Iran were trading strikes on consecutive days this week.
A Qatari delegation had been in Tehran this week for discussions about the deal.
Iran's top joint military command warns of more severe response if US attacks Iran again
Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has warned that any future US attack on Iran would trigger “a response even more severe than before,” in a statement published by Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA.
The statement, that was issued before US President Donald Trump said he was canceling tonight’s scheduled strikes against Iran, accused Washington of duplicity, saying, “On the one hand, the United States speaks of agreements and negotiations, while on the other it engages in hostile actions.”
It added that this “clear contradiction in America’s words and deeds is the main source of instability in the region,” and has “endangered international trade and economic security, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The command warned that if the United States “launch[es] another attack against Iran,” the conflict “would not only deepen regional instability but could also expand far beyond its current scope.”
The statement also threaten global energy flows, saying: “In light of recent US threats against Iran’s oil infrastructure, we declare that either oil and gas exports will remain available to all, or they will not be available to anyone.”
Earlier on Thursday, Trump warned that the US would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” and vowed to take Kharg Island, which handles roughly 90% of Iran’s crude exports. Plans to capture the island have been drawn up for months but were repeatedly shelved because it was considered too risky, sources say.
