Trump says – President Donald Trump said a U.S.-Iran agreement tied to reopening the Strait of Hormuz is “largely negotiated,” after talks with Israel and other regional allies. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged caution, saying “significant progress, although not fi
When President Donald Trump announced the U.S. had made “largely negotiated” progress toward a deal with Iran over the war in the Middle East, it landed on a fragile moment—after a week in which the U.S. weighed new attacks that could break a fragile ceasefire.
Trump said the agreement includes opening the Strait of Hormuz in parallel with steps tied to Iran’s nuclear program. and he said it came after calls with Israel and other allies over the weekend. But on Sunday. in a separate set of remarks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged restraint. saying “significant progress. although not final progress has been made” as negotiations are still moving.
Rubio. on a four-day visit to India for meetings with Indian. Australian and Japanese officials. said he hoped there would be good news in the coming hours. Trump had previously said on social media that “Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed. and will be announced shortly. ” without offering specifics.
Both officials framed the goal of the talks in terms of nuclear risk. Rubio said the negotiations have succeeded in one of Trump’s main aims: “that is a world that no longer has to be in fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon.”
Trump said on Saturday he had spoken with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, and separately with Israel.
Even as the deal’s outline began to take shape, officials in the region described a process still in motion, with hard decisions still ahead.
A potential deal would require Iran to commit to not pursuing a nuclear weapon and to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. according to two regional officials briefed on the negotiations. One official. with direct knowledge of the talks. said how Iran would give up its highly enriched uranium remains a subject of further negotiations over the course of a 60-day period.
That official said it’s highly likely that a part of the amount will be diluted, while the rest will be transferred to a third country, potentially Russia.
Iran currently has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Strait of Hormuz would be gradually opened in parallel with the U.S. ending its blockade of Iran’s ports, the same official said. A second official said the U.S. would also allow Iran to sell its oil through sanctions waivers. Sanctions relief and release of Iran’s frozen funds would be negotiated during the 60-day time frame, the official said.
Both officials said the draft deal includes an end of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, along with a commitment of not interfering in the domestic affairs of countries in the region. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door deliberations.
The negotiations sit atop a chain of violence and disruption that has sharpened the stakes for nearly every part of the agreement. Twelve weeks have passed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, killing top Iranian officials including its supreme leader and interrupting nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran for the second time in less than a year.
Iran then fired at Israel and at neighbors hosting U.S. forces, shaking Gulf nations that had considered themselves safe havens in a tough region.
A ceasefire has held since April 7. But Iran’s decision to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz for ships carrying regional oil, natural gas and other critical supplies has been a focal point of global concern and economic pain.
In Lebanon, a separate ceasefire is also under pressure. There is a fragile, U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon since April 17, a conflict that began two days after the Iran war started.
Israeli officials are concerned Hezbollah remains a serious threat to Israel and that Lebanon is ill-equipped to disarm it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Trump that Israel “maintains freedom of action against threats in all arenas. including Lebanon. ” according to an official familiar with the conversation. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The official said Trump made it clear to Netanyahu that he will not sign any final agreement without conditions that Iran dismantle its entire nuclear program and remove all enriched uranium from the country.
In Israel, Gila Gamliel, Israel’s Minister of Science and Technology and a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party and part of his national security cabinet, told Israel’s Army Radio on Sunday morning that Israel is taking a “wait-and-see” approach.
Even with the ceasefire in place, firing continues on both sides. Hezbollah launches daily drones and projectiles toward Israeli soldiers and northern Israel, while Israel strikes targets in Lebanon as its troops remain in large swaths of southern Lebanon.
The human toll has been staggering: more than 3. 000 people have been killed in the latest round of fighting. according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Israel’s Netanyahu office said 22 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon. and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel. mostly from Hezbollah drones.
The question now is whether the momentum Trump described over the weekend holds long enough to turn progress into something final—especially as Rubio pressed that the negotiations are still not complete.
United States Iran deal Trump Marco Rubio Strait of Hormuz Israel Hezbollah nuclear program sanctions waivers frozen funds