New Delhi (India) June 12: US President Donald Trump announced that a deal on ending the conflict with Iran was almost done and could be signed this weekend in Europe just hours after he had pulled out of air strikes on Iran following his threats on the country’s oil production.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Vice President J D Vance was to witness the signing ceremony in Europe later on weekend.
Trump Said Mojtaba Khamenei Backed Deal
Trump claimed that the Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the pact. The agreement has been accepted because we have already taken a pounding, stated the US president about Iran's acceptance of the deal.
He asserted that the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route to transport global oil shipments and on which Iran claimed to have imposed a block, will be re-opened after the signing.
The development comes following Trump's threat to escalate the conflict further with a more vigorous bombing of Iran and seizing control of the oil production including capturing Iran's Kharg Island oil facility, an oil rich area of the country.
Iran Says Accord Still Under Review
Iran said that it is still to decide final ratification of the proposed accord on an end to war in West Asia, after a deal seemed within grasp and US President Donald Trump canceled his threats of an air strike against it.
According to officials in Teheran, the US President's announcement comes even as a proposed deal on ending war in the region is still being finalized by various decision making bodies of the country.
As per Iranian state media, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei had been quoted saying that news of a deal being signed is a speculation.
"We have not reached a final conclusion on this matter. This is a very important issue that is currently being reviewed by the relevant decision-making bodies," he said.
India Protests Over Ship Attacks
Meanwhile, India said that it has lodged a protest to the United States for a series of three attacks on ships carrying Indian crewmen by the US military off the coast of Oman in the past four days that left three Indians dead.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We attach high importance to the welfare and well-being of our seafaring community. When this particular attack on the ship Settebello occurred, we lodged a strong protest with the American side."
"We summoned the US Charge d'Affaires and he was conveyed our deepest concern over the ongoing incidents of attacks. We also registered our strong protest," he added.