More TACO. I mean, “Trump Always Chickens Out“, which amounts to “Trump always chickens out.” This is what happened again this Thursday afternoon, in which the president of the United States canceled in the extremes his announced plans to resume US military strikes against Iran. It alleges that negotiations with Tehran have progressed to the highest levels of the Iranian leadership and have been approved by a broad coalition of regional powers. That peace is closer, that there is no need to sow destruction tonight.
The drastic change of course occurs hours before the attacks, promised to be of great magnitude, were scheduled to be carried out this very night. However, the details of the diplomatic breakthrough after more than three months of war – including how the Iranian leadership had expressed its approval – are not immediately clear from Trump’s Truth Social post, which is the only thing we can latch on to.
However, the digital Axiosspecialized in intelligence, maintains tonight that the draft agreement would extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin 60 days of negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, which is one of the thorniest points of the debate.
“Based on the fact that talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran have reached the highest level of the Iranian leadership and have been approved, I, as President of the United States of America, have canceled the scheduled attacks and bombings against Iran tonight,” the Republican leader wrote.
“The discussions and final points have been approved, both in concept and detail, by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and others. The naval blockade will remain in full force until this transaction is finalized. The date and location of the signing will be announced soon,” it adds.
Iran had no immediate comment. Trump has repeatedly claimed that a deal with Tehran was imminent. In fact, the last time he sold it so close he said it would be available last weekend. However, the theocratic regime has always denied these North American claims.
Early in the afternoon in Europe, shortly after dawn in the United States, Trump had said he would attack Iran “very strongly tonight” and even added that he wanted to take the island of Jarg or Kharg, a center of Iranian oil infrastructure, at some point, after a second day of attacks by both sides in the Gulf seemed to threaten a return to all-out war. A fragile ceasefire has been in effect in the area since early April, but always threatened, never more so than in the last few hours, since Washington and Tel Aviv launched their joint attack on February 28 of this year.
Axios insists, citing up to three sources, that “key differences were resolved during the talks between Iranian officials and Qatari mediators on Wednesday” and that is why the magnate has now taken the step, despite the contradictions it implies about what is threatened. The meetings lasted until “late into the night.”
These sources indicated that the differences were reduced, in the end, to three key points: the mechanism for the release of frozen Iranian assets, which is the most important issue for Iran, which is enduring a fierce economic crisis, the reason for the large citizen protests at the beginning of the year; the provisions for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz during the 60-day ceasefire period, essential for the entire world because 20% of the world’s crude oil passed through there before the war, and how negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program will be carried out during the 60-day armistice.
Iranian officials informed several countries on Thursday that the talks in Tehran produced an agreement in principle, “but that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had yet to give final approval.” Both the Iranians and the Qataris had emphasized that the US attacks the previous night significantly increased Iranian suspicions about Trump’s true intentions.
And he has already lied to them before: just a year ago, he started the 12-Day War when he was in full negotiations with the Islamic Republic and the same thing happened in February, when the mediators were very happy to promise him to continue maintaining contacts in Geneva when the first shot came from the Israeli-North American axis. Distrust is capital.
Members of the Iranian security forces stand guard under a large portrait of the new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, on April 9, 2026, in Tehran.
“Wrong strategies”
Iranian sources and Western officials had previously stated that indirect talks between the United States and Iran on a preliminary peace agreement had intensified, media outlets such as Reuters and AP reported, while the resumption of hostilities this week undermined prospects for an early resolution of the conflict.
Oil prices fell sharply on Thursday after Trump announced the cancellation of US plans to attack Iran, while stocks extended their gains. Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, warned against any rash action following Trump’s initial threats.
“Wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will make the situation completely worse, cause infrastructure and energy markets to collapse, and create an endless quagmire in which they will be trapped for years. They will see a different Iran,” he wrote on X.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, for his part urged both adversaries (Israel is not discussed because it is not playing any role in the negotiating process) to redouble their efforts “towards a peaceful, comprehensive and lasting agreement that promotes regional and international peace and security,” declared UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric.
The war has caused thousands of deaths, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, and has sent global oil prices soaring since the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on February 28.
Despite the recent hostilities, three Iranian sources and Western officials said the talks had not yet addressed in detail issues such as a mechanism for the release of billions of dollars of frozen Iranian funds.
“From a military point of view, this war is a dead end. The Americans could not achieve their objectives by attacking Iran. There has been progress in the negotiations,” one of the Iranian sources told Reuters.
