DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he had called off new military strikes on Iran, claiming a breakthrough in negotiations to end the war just hours after the American leader threatened to escalate the conflict by seizing control of Iran's oil industry.
Trump has said multiple times in recent weeks that the warring parties have been on the cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition. There was no immediate comment from officials in Iran, which the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked on Feb. 28, or from mediators taking part in negotiations.
Trump opened an Oval Office event Thursday afternoon saying: "We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran." He offered scant details, other than to say he expects an agreement to extend the ceasefire to be finalized "over the next few days."
