A mixed martial arts event dubbed UFC Freedom 250 took place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington.
A mixed martial arts event dubbed UFC Freedom 250 took place on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Donald Trump celebrated his 80th birthday with an Iran peace deal and a mixed martial arts event at the White House.
The US president announced the agreement with Tehran just hours before the start of Sunday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship event, which was held amid thunderstorm warnings in Washington DC. Immediately following the card, Mr Trump was due to fly to a meeting of heads from the G7 group of leading democracies in Evian, France, where the settlement reached with Iran to end the four-month-long war was likely to dominate, with full details still to emerge.
The build-up to the cage-fighting event to mark America’s 250th anniversary of independence saw the president and UFC chief Dana White walk together from the Oval Office to the White House balcony overlooking the giant open-sided arena, nicknamed “The Claw”, on the South Lawn. The national anthem was then played as a formation of fighter jets streaked overhead, sparking a cheer from the crowd and chants of “USA, USA”.
Mr Trump then took his seat close to the signature octagon cage, where the seven fights were to be held. Among the 4,000 guests in the custom-built venue was British heavyweight boxing star, Tyson Fury, wearing a Donald Trump for Prime Minister baseball hat. Others with cage-side seats were FBI director Kash Patel, acting US attorney general Todd Blanche and speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson.
Tens of thousands more watched the Freedom 250 bouts on a big screen in a park close to the White House, with some having travelled from across the country for the spectacle. It made for some incongruous scenes with fighters pictured warming up inside the formal surroundings of the White House.
While the administration said the UFC would be covering the 60 million dollar cost, official documents show seven agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration, had “allocated significant resources and manpower” to the controversial event, which was the subject of an unsuccessful legal challenge. One of those in the UFC audience was Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Mr Trump, who has taken a hard line towards Iran.
He was sceptical over the emerging deal with Tehran, which will end hostilities, lift the US blockade and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, but leave Iran’s disputed nuclear plans to later talks. Mr Graham wrote on X: “I am pleased to hear the memorandum of understanding with Iran to allow the Strait of Hormuz to open has been agreed to.
“I will be watching closely the ensuing negotiations regarding Iran’s nuclear program and other matters. “I am somewhat concerned that Iran’s view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming. ”US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was more optimistic and argued Mr Trump “continues to make the world safer, today reaching a historic peace deal with Iran”.
In a post on X, he said: “His leadership, along with his direct engagement with allies and adversaries alike, will be recorded in history books for centuries to come. ” Earlier, confirming the completion of the agreement with Iran, Mr Trump had declared “let the oil flow”. He signalled the Strait of Hormuz would reopen “for purposes of mine removal” with the signing of the pact with Iran in Switzerland on Friday.
Ending Iran’s stranglehold on the critical waterway, which has disrupted global oil and gas supplies and driven up fuel and food prices, had been a key demand in negotiations. The UK and France have led plans for a defensive mission to protect shipping in the channel once hostilities end, including the deployment of autonomous mine-hunting equipment.
However, it leaves outstanding Tehran’s nuclear plans, which it insists are peaceful but the US and Israel fear could be used to build a weapon due to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Meanwhile, US vice president JD Vance told Fox News that “it’s possible” Mr Trump could attend Friday’s signing ceremony, but logistics were still being hammered out.
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