explainer
President Trump called off a planned attack on Iran and said talks were close as Tehran considers a proposed deal with the United States.
Published June 12, 2026
US President Donald Trump said he had called off plans to attack Iran for the third night in a row and said talks with Iran were close to reaching a deal.
This announcement marked a dramatic change in direction. Just hours earlier, President Trump had warned that Iran would be hit “very hard” and threatened to target Kharg Island and other oil facilities.
An Al Jazeera correspondent, reporting from Tehran, said a senior Iranian official confirmed that a draft memorandum of understanding with the United States was being considered by Iran’s highest leadership.
Here’s what happened:
in iran
President Trump cancels planned attack on Iran: Hours after warning that Iran would suffer a “very big” blow and hinting at attacks on Kharg Island and other oil facilities, President Trump claimed a breakthrough in negotiations had been reached and said he had called off the planned attack. President Trump said in a post on Truth Social that talks had been elevated to Iran’s highest leadership and that the “final point” of the deal had been approved by all parties involved, including the United States and several regional allies. Tehran says war’s sacrifices were worth it: Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Val said many Iranians would be relieved to see the conflict end after months of hardship and loss. But the government is also trying to sell the potential deal as a victory, telling the public that it is “worth suffering” because Iran could come out of the war “much stronger” and sanctions could be lifted and asset freezes lifted.
in the US
Experts say Trump has followed an ‘escalation-de-escalation’ strategy: Richard Weitz, an international security expert at the NATO National Defense University, told Al Jazeera that Trump’s threat to escalate the conflict may have been aimed at forcing a diplomatic breakthrough. The strategy, he said, was to “threat escalation” to “forcefully end” the conflict. But Weitz cautioned that “there is still some uncertainty about exactly what has been agreed and how it will be implemented.” President Trump has been trying to keep Netanyahu in check in recent weeks: Reporting from Washington, D.C., Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett said President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have long had a “shared desire to limit Iran’s nuclear program and ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons.” But he said there were “growing concerns within the White House” that Netanyahu could “derail efforts in the diplomatic field” as Trump increasingly tries to keep Israeli leaders in check and, in the US president’s words, “dedicate time to diplomacy.”
in lebanon
Hezbollah announces 24 attacks against Israeli forces: The Lebanese militant group said it carried out a series of drone, missile and rocket attacks against Israeli soldiers, armored vehicles and military positions across southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley from Wednesday to Thursday. Hezbollah said it repeatedly attacked troop concentrations near Tayre Halfa, while also attacking Israeli forces in Nakoura, al-Qawza, Rashaf, Qantara, Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, and Yomor al-Shaqif.
