Sawt Falasteen - Tehran says no final decision as Trump touts imminent deal

Trump's statements fueled a stock market rally and tanked oil prices, again spurring hopes a resolution was nearing in the war triggered by US-Israeli strikes in February.

Claiming that talks with Iran had been "brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved," Trump said he had "cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening."

"Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly," he added.

Trump said the finer points of the arrangement had been approved by the United States and its allies in the region, including Israel, with which Washington jointly launched the war in February.

However, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran "had not reached a final conclusion on the agreement".

He added that "most of the text of the agreement was finalized, but the problem began when the US side made new demands and changed its positions."

The Tasnim news agency noted that Trump had announced a deal was imminent 38 times in the previous two months.

"Until Iran announces the matter of a potential understanding, any news from Trump on this subject should be regarded the same as his previous messaging," it noted.

Later Trump doubled down, telling reporters "I understand the answer is yes," when asked if Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the deal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader spoke to Trump, who vowed any memorandum of understanding would include the removal of Tehran's enriched nuclear material as well as dismantling of missile infrastructure.

- 'Approved by all parties' -

The war -- which began February 28 with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei -- paused under an April truce. But efforts to hammer out a permanent end to the fighting appeared stalled.

Tehran's mayor said Thursday the former supreme leader's funeral would be delayed to the end of June or start of July.

Trump's statement suggested back-channel mediation led by US allies like Pakistan and Qatar may have borne fruit -- despite previously saying he would hit Iran "VERY HARD TONIGHT."

"Discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail, approved by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel" and Gulf states, he posted.

Egypt said the US and Iran should seize an "available opportunity" for a deal to end the war, after Trump cancelled the threatened new strikes on Iran.

Just a day earlier, Trump had declared that not only would US forces step up airstrikes, they would also seize control of Iran's oil export facility on Kharg Island in the Gulf.

Even as Trump's intervention raised hopes of a resolution, Kuwait reported Iran targeted its territory and damaged an airport radar forcing an airspace closure.

- 'Flames of war' -

With US threats escalating, Iranian General Ali Abdollahi warned earlier in the day that if the United States attacked, "it will receive a harsher response than before, and the flames of war, in addition to creating insecurity in the region, will become more widespread and far-reaching."

Civilians facing renewed strikes in Tehran were pessimistic. Majid, a 35-year-old pharmacist, said the economic knock-on effects of the fighting were crippling normal life.

"I am absolutely not optimistic about the agreement being finalized, because the gap between the two countries is too wide," he said, blaming the lack of progress on Israel -- which also traded fire with Iran in recent days -- as well as hardliners at home.

Iran has renewed its warnings over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil and gas transport that it has essentially closed since early in the war, roiling global energy markets. Iran's new body overseeing the strait said it "will be closed until further notice".

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Z.Ramadan--SF-PST