Trump says Iran deal in final drafting stage, signing ceremony set for Europe this weekend

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that negotiations with Iran have reached the final document-drafting stage and that the agreement could be wrapped up with a signing ceremony in Europe this weekend.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said, "We just made a great settlement with respect to the war with Iran. All that's left is finalizing the documents." He added that the deal would be concluded within the next few days and that a signing ceremony would likely be held in Europe. "I won't be able to attend, but Vice President JD Vance will be there," he said.

Trump said he had spoken with leaders of countries neighboring Iran — including Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait — about the agreement to end the war. He also said he planned to speak with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Trump said the Strait of Hormuz "will be open the moment" the deal is signed. "Most importantly, we have an agreement that Iran will never have nuclear weapons," he said. "That was the ultimate purpose of what we had to go through to get this done. So this is a very big deal."

Trump reiterated that Iran would not purchase or develop nuclear weapons in any way or form. "Let's see — it has to end very well, and it has to end very quickly," he said. "They want it just like everybody else wants it, and I think a lot of good relationships can be made." Trump also said the memorandum of understanding embodying the peace deal would be very strong and detailed.

When reporters asked how the current situation differed from previous occasions on which Trump had said a deal with Iran was imminent, he replied that Iran — badly damaged by US military strikes — wanted the agreement more than the United States did.

Before announcing the imminent deal to reporters at a proclamation-signing ceremony that day, Trump had posted about the sudden agreement with Iran on his social media platform Truth Social. In an earlier post, he had announced planned airstrikes on Iran that same night, only to reverse course and cancel them. "Based on the fact that talks with Iran have gone up to the highest level of Iranian leadership and have been approved, I, as President of the United States, have cancelled the attack and bombing of Iran that was scheduled for the evening of Friday," he wrote.