Tehran Denies Deal Finalised After Trump Says Iran Agreement Near Completion

Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda & Beatrice Walyamboka at 1303 EAT on Friday 12 June 2026

US President Donald Trump said the United States had planned to strike Iran “very hard” again on Thursday before announcing he was cancelling the action, claiming negotiators had reached what he described as “a great settlement” with Tehran.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said the agreement was still “subject to finalisation of documents, which should get done over the next few days,” adding that there would “probably” be a signing ceremony in Europe.

However, Iran has dismissed suggestions that any deal has been completed. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said reports of an agreement were “speculative,” stressing that “nothing has been finalised.”
The conflicting statements come amid renewed uncertainty over US-Iran relations, with Trump having previously made similar claims about a near-final deal that did not materialise.

The United States and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February. Iran responded with attacks on Israel and US-aligned states in the Gulf, and disrupted maritime traffic by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global route for oil and liquefied natural gas shipments.

Despite agreeing a ceasefire in April, the United States and Iran have continued to exchange intermittent fire, including two rounds of tit-for-tat strikes this week, even as President Donald Trump has repeatedly talked up prospects of a wider deal.

Oil markets reacted sharply to Trump’s latest comments, with Brent crude falling about 4.4% to around $89 a barrel (£66), as investors responded to signals of potential de-escalation.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said: “We have a deal that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, which was the whole purpose of what we had to go through to get this. So, it’s a very big thing.”

He added that a formal signing could follow once documentation is completed, saying there would “probably be a signing, maybe in Europe” and that the process should be concluded “pretty quickly.”

“The documents are in pretty final shape — so we’ll see,” Trump said.

He also said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “as soon as we have it signed,” referring to the vital global shipping route that has been disrupted by the conflict.
The US president said he had spoken with regional leaders, including Gulf allies and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding: “The whole Middle East is very happy.”

The Israeli prime minister’s office confirmed that a conversation with US President Donald Trump had taken place, but said Israel “is not a party to the memorandum of understanding.”

In its statement, the office said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed appreciation for Trump’s commitment to pursue a final agreement that would include “the removal of enriched material, the dismantling of enrichment infrastructure, limits on missile production, and the cessation of Iran’s support for its terrorist proxies in the region.”

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said most of the text of the proposed memorandum had already been “finalised,” but accused the United States of making “excessive demands” and introducing “new requests” during negotiations. He maintained that Tehran would not “depart from its red lines.”

The White House has been pressing for a rapid conclusion to talks with Iran aimed at ending the conflict, while also addressing wider regional concerns including security in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme.

On 20 April, Trump said a deal with Iran would be reached “relatively quickly,” with senior administration officials also suggesting steady progress in the following weeks. However, on 27 May, after reports that an agreement was close, Trump said he was “not satisfied” with the proposed terms. Talks have continued since.

Hours before his latest remarks on a potential deal with Iran, US President Donald Trump said the United States would strike Iran “very hard” on Thursday night, while also threatening to seize Kharg Island and other key oil infrastructure “in the not too distant future.”

Kharg Island, located in the northern Gulf, is Iran’s principal oil export terminal and handles roughly 90% of the country’s crude exports.

In further comments, Trump said the US could “assume total control” over oil and gas markets, comparing the approach to previous actions in Venezuela.

Iran’s military warned that any further attacks would trigger a retaliation “more severe than before.” A statement said: “Considering recent US threats against Iran’s oil infrastructure, either oil and gas exports are for everyone or they will be available for no-one.”

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also cautioned that “wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will… create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years.”

The latest escalation follows a series of exchanges of fire after a US Apache helicopter crashed in the Gulf earlier this week. US Central Command (Centcom) later said it carried out strikes targeting Iranian military, surveillance and radar sites in southern Iran.

In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched strikes on US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Bahraini authorities later reported that an 11-year-old girl was injured in a drone attack, with homes and vehicles damaged.

The exchange marks a further escalation in tensions across the Gulf, with both sides continuing to carry out strikes despite ongoing diplomatic efforts to stabilise the conflict.

-Observer

Invest or Donate towards HICGI New Agency Global Media Establishment – Watch video here