The US president has previously threatened to hit the country very hard and to seize Kharg island

US President Donald Trump has cancelled planned strikes on Iran, saying talks with the Islamic Republic are moving forward with the country's top leadership. The announcement came just hours after he again threatened to hit Iran "very hard."

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have surged in recent days despite a nominal ceasefire agreed in April. The US launched strikes on Iran on Wednesday after a US AH64 Apache helicopter was lost near the Strait of Hormuz - an incident Washington blamed on Tehran. Iran denied responsibility and responded with a missile barrage targeting American bases in the region.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said the "scheduled strikes and bombings" had been canceled because of negotiations "brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved." He said "discussions and final points" had been agreed by all sides involved, including the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia and several other regional states.

The USled naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz "will remain in full force," Trump added.

Earlier in the day, the US president had vowed to hit Iran "very hard tonight" and "at some point" seek to take control of Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure, stating that Washington could "assume total control of their oil and gas markets."

Tehran has not confirmed or commented on any deal. Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned earlier that "wrong strategies and impulsive decisions" would damage global energy markets and "create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years."

Negotiations had stalled for weeks, with both sides accusing each other of bad faith and ceasefire violations. Last week, Iran threatened to suspend the talks in response to continued Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

Tehran's conditions for a peace agreement include the cessation of hostilities "on all fronts," including Lebanon, where Israel has been waging a war against Hezbollah since early March.

Israel and Iran exchanged strikes on Monday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated that Iran must never obtain a nuclear weapon and defended military action against the country. Tehran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful.

(RT.com)