Army soldiers hold a grappling demonstration during the UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest on The Ellipse ahead of the UFC Freedom 250 fight on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday, June 14, in Washington. AP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump marked turning 80 on Sunday by hailing an agreement to end the war in Iran hours before a birthday celebration that once would have seemed unfathomable: a cage-fighting show on the storied South Lawn of the White House.
He had been touting the emerging deal for weeks, and last-minute strikes in the conflict had threatened to overshadow the ostentatious UFC mixed martial arts extravaganza — where combatants sealed inside a wire-mesh octagon try to punch, kick, chop and pummel each other into submission.
Hour before the fights began, the president said an agreement to end the conflict “is now complete" and declared that the U.S. will end its blockade of Iran and that Strait of Hormuz would reopen, potentially easing high oil prices and skittish global markets. But the crucial details are still to be negotiated.
Word of the deal will allow the president to be especially jubilant as he walks out of the White House for the fights. Cabinet leaders, Republican lawmakers and 4,000-plus spectators screaming themselves hoarse will join him in a temporary arena under “ The Claw ,” a spaceship-like metal arch fitted with lighting, sound equipment and large screens. Thousands more will be watching on big screens from the nearby Ellipse.