US and Denmark officials quietly negotiated Greenland deal amid Iran war

U.S. , Denmark and Greenland officials spent several months quietly negotiating an agreement to expand the U.S. military footprint in Greenland after President Donald Trump threatened to forcibly seize the island from the NATO ally.

In a social media post confirming the deal, Trump stated that the arrangement "gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns."

He added that his administration would "immediately" initiate the process of establishing an expanded military presence across the mineral-rich Danish territory. The Arctic territory will also remain under Danish governance.

The accord follows months of quiet diplomatic negotiations between officials from the U.S., Denmark and Greenland, designed to resolve Trump's security worries regarding the island, home to roughly 56,000 residents.

Discussions over Greenland had previously been sidelined as Trump launched a military operation to remove former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power and joined Israel to start a war against Iran.

The pact provides Trump with a foreign policy result to promote ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. The six-month conflict with Iran has reshaped the political race, challenging his pledge to avoid foreign wars while creating difficulties for Republicans holding narrow congressional majorities.

The office of Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said the deal will be signed by all three governments next week during the United Nations General Assembly, but parliamentary action is still needed by the Danish and Greenland governments before it can be enforced.

In a statement she said “the agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Greenland and Denmark and upholds both people's right "to self-determination.”

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the emerging deal benefits all three governments and “recognizes Greenland’s interests."

With his return to the White House last year, Trump called on Denmark to sell the island to the United States, while insisting Greenland is crucial for U.S. security. He pointedly wouldn't rule out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally of the U.S.

Denmark and Greenland repeatedly said the island is not for sale and condemned reports of the U.S. gathering intelligence there. The U.S. push for Greenland was also fiercely opposed by Russia and much of Europe.

But Trump, with the announcement Friday, suggested an understanding may have been reached that could bring an end to what was viewed as an existential crisis by Denmark.

“We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land,” Trump said in his post. “We will be very protective of it!”

Trump had claimed the U.S. needs Greenland to deter threats from Russia and China , and has repeatedly made false claims of Chinese and Russian military forces lurking off the island’s coastline.