Trump Says Iran Deal Close, Tehran Says No Agreement Imminent

Iranian officials on Monday pushed back against expectations of a swift agreement with the United States to end the three-month war, even as Washington described a draft memorandum as largely complete. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqai told reporters in Tehran that substantial progress had been made on many issues but stressed that no signing was imminent. His comments came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told journalists in New Delhi that negotiators remained hopeful yet refused to predict a timeline.

The reported outline includes a 60-day extension of the current ceasefire that began on April 8, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, and a commitment to continued talks on Iran’s nuclear program. Details on sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and limits on uranium enrichment have been left for later discussion, according to people familiar with the talks. President Donald Trump wrote on social media that his team had been instructed not to rush, adding that the final product would be “the exact opposite” of the 2015 nuclear accord he withdrew from in 2018.

The tempered tone followed a weekend in which Trump first suggested a breakthrough was near, only to walk back the optimism after senior Republicans voiced alarm. Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, along with former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, warned that any deal resembling the reported framework would reward Tehran and weaken deterrence. Trump responded by dismissing the critics as “losers who know nothing” and insisted he does not make bad agreements.

Rubio, speaking during a visit to India, said the United States would continue to pursue diplomacy but left open the possibility of other measures if talks collapsed. “We’re either going to have a good agreement or we’re going to have to deal with it another way,” he said, adding that the administration preferred a negotiated outcome. He noted that communication with Iranian counterparts had slowed, partly because of difficulties reaching Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured in an Israeli strike at the start of the conflict.

The war, now in its 87th day, began with Israeli and US strikes on Iranian targets after months of heightened tensions. The United States has maintained a naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has restricted most shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Shipping data released Monday showed limited movement of tankers, including a liquefied natural gas carrier heading toward Pakistan and an Iraqi crude vessel bound for China after being stranded for weeks.

Inside Iran, state media reported the execution of a man convicted in connection with January antigovernment protests, underscoring ongoing domestic repression even as diplomatic channels remain open. US intelligence assessments cited in American reporting suggest that internal disruptions in Tehran have complicated the pace of negotiations.

The proposed interim arrangement has drawn comparisons to earlier diplomatic efforts, with Trump repeatedly contrasting it to the Obama-era deal he once called disastrous. Critics within his own party argue that the current framework defers too many contentious issues and provides insufficient guarantees on nuclear restrictions. Supporters inside the administration maintain that the deal avoids the pitfalls of past agreements by keeping core demands on the table during the 60-day follow-up period.

Rubio is scheduled to continue meetings in India focused on regional security before returning to Washington, where further updates on the Iran talks are expected in the coming days.