Iran and – Iran says the end of its war with the U.S. is not imminent, pointing to what it calls frequent U.S. position changes. The U.S. says a deal could be finalized “today,” even as Iranian negotiators prepare talks in Doha on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and outst
When President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social over the weekend that an end to the war was “largely negotiated,” it set off a countdown mood in Washington. In Tehran, the tone was different the moment the Iranian foreign ministry began explaining why the diplomatic runway still isn’t clear.
Iranian officials said negotiations are continuing, but they are not ready to declare victory. On Monday in Tehran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters that an end to the war with the U.S. is not imminent and that talks face “obstacles” tied to what he called “frequent changes” in U.S. positions.
“The frequent changes in positions and contradictions. which do not really need me to explain and which you can simply observe by looking at tweets issued by U.S. officials. show what situation we are dealing with and under what conditions we must pursue a diplomatic process with such a counterpart. ” Baqaei said. “This naturally creates its own problems and obstacles.”.
While Baqaei was speaking in Tehran, Iran’s negotiators were moving in parallel. Iran’s top negotiators were in Doha on Monday for talks on “resolving outstanding issues” with the U.S., including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and securing Iran’s stockpile of uranium.
For the U.S., the message was closer to a deadline than a warning. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. in India on an official visit. said an agreement between the two countries could be finalized “today.” He cautioned that if talks fail. Washington would have to find “another way” to resolve the conflict.
“We have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits. get the straits open. ” Rubio told reporters in India on Monday. where he has been on an official visit. “Every country that we’ve walked through it (with) understands it’s not just very reasonable. but it’s the right thing for the world to get done.”.
That clash between urgency and hesitation is now sitting at the center of the negotiations. Trump’s own comments on the weekend—saying he wasn’t in a rush because “time is on our side. ” and that “final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed. and will be announced shortly”—have been met with Iranian insistence that diplomacy can’t run on momentum alone.
In his Truth Social post, Trump said a deal to end the war was “largely negotiated” and added that “the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.” He also said negotiations are proceeding in an “orderly and constructive manner,” but still emphasized that he’s not in a rush.
Iran, for its part, is describing any potential arrangement as limited and carefully sequenced. Despite comments from Trump. Iran says an end to the war is not imminent and that a deal would not address the “nuclear issue.” Instead. the Iranian foreign ministry says the agreement would include a memorandum to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days. during which the countries would discuss nuclear-related issues.
Taken together, the facts on the table show a narrow opening—straits first, nuclear talks later—while Washington pushes for immediate closure. Baqaei’s warning about “frequent changes” in U.S. positions, paired with Rubio’s “today” language, puts the same diplomacy on two different clocks.
For now, negotiations are still underway: Iranian officials in Tehran are pointing to U.S. reversals. while Iranian negotiators in Doha are focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and securing Iran’s stockpile of uranium—an agenda that Rubio says the U.S. believes is already close enough to finish today. but that Iran says still has obstacles that can’t be hand-waved away.
Iran United States negotiations Strait of Hormuz Marco Rubio Donald Trump Esmaeil Baqaei uranium stockpile Doha talks nuclear issue