WASHINGTON/TEHRAN, June 12 — Contradictory messages emerged from Tehran regarding a potential agreement between the United States and Iran, with President Donald Trump claiming a settlement is imminent while Iranian military officials and the Foreign Ministry publicly contradicting that any such deal has been reached.
Speaking at the White House, Trump announced that the United States had “just made a great settlement of the war with Iran” and said a formal signing ceremony could take place in Europe within days.
According to Trump, the proposed accord is a “very strong memorandum of understanding” and the relevant documents are already in their final form.
Trump also indicated that Vice President JD Vance would participate in a signing ceremony expected over the weekend. Asked whether Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had approved the arrangement, Trump replied that he understood the answer to be yes.
However, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) swiftly rejected the claim.
In a statement released early Thursday, the IRGC’s public relations office described Trump’s announcement as “a cover to escape war,” denying reports that Tehran had agreed to any settlement with Washington.
Iranian media outlets, citing security sources, echoed the denial. The sources characterized reports of a deal as “an absolute lie” and warned that Iran would deliver a “crushing response” to recent U.S. military actions.
Despite the public denials, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the text of an agreement with the United States had been practically finalized, suggesting diplomatic negotiations may have advanced further than publicly acknowledged.
The developments follow heightened tensions between the two countries after the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28.
Earlier Thursday, Trump threatened additional strikes against Iran but later said he had called off the planned action.
