President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that a deal to permanently end the US-Israeli war on Iran could be signed as soon as this weekend, marking a dramatic shift in a day filled with rapid developments.
Trump's Announcement
“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, and we’re going to be subject to finalization of documents, which should get done over the next few days. We’ll probably have a signing, maybe in Europe,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He added that the signing ceremony “could be soon, very soon, maybe over the weekend.” Vice President JD Vance, along with special envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner, will represent the US at the ceremony.
Trump indicated he would not attend the potential signing due to events in Washington, DC, celebrating the US's 250th birthday. When asked if Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the deal, Trump responded, “I understand the answer is yes.”
Regional Diplomacy
Trump said he spoke with regional partners who helped broker the agreement and planned to speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, praising him as “great” in helping to end the war. Later, during a telerally supporting Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones, Trump reiterated his claim of ending the war with Iran and stated that Tehran had agreed never to develop a nuclear weapon. “That was the whole purpose, that was 95% of it, and they've done it in the most powerful way you can do it,” he added.
Military Context
The announcement came after US forces conducted a second day of strikes against multiple targets in Iran, following Iran’s downing of an Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that 18 major US military targets were struck at bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. Just hours before the breakthrough, Trump had threatened to continue striking Iran “very hard” and to seize Iran's Kharg Island, a vital energy terminal. When asked if that option was ruled out, Trump said, “If we sign this agreement, it would be.”
