Marco Rubio, during a press conference in New Delhi on May 24, 2026.
Donald Trump tempered hopes on Sunday for an imminent agreement with Iran to permanently end the war in the Middle East, despite signs of progress from both sides.
“I have instructed my representatives not to rush to conclude an agreement, as time is on our side,” the American president wrote on his Truth Social platform, while also warning that the blockade imposed by his country on Iranian ports would remain in place “until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”
A senior American official, cited by Axios, indicated that the White House did not expect the agreement to be sealed on Sunday. The presidency “believes that approval of the agreement by the Iranian authorities could take several days,” according to the media.
Triggered on February 28 by an American-Israeli attack on Iran, the conflict has spread to much of the Middle East and resulted in thousands of deaths, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, where the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement joined hostilities in early March by targeting Israeli territory.
A ceasefire has been in place between Iran and the United States since April 8, but the global economy continues to be shaken by the near-blocking of the strategic Strait of Hormuz by Iran for over three months.
“If I reach an agreement with Iran,” Donald Trump asserted in a new message on Sunday, “it will be a good, serious agreement, not like the one concluded by (Barack) Obama,” referring to the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated by the former Democratic president and from which he withdrew during his first term.
The Republican leader seemed to be responding to criticisms within his own camp over an agreement that would be favorable to Iran.
According to American media, this agreement would allow ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz again, through which a fifth of the world’s consumed hydrocarbons transited before the conflict.
– What about nuclear? –
According to CBS News, which cites sources close to the discussions, the latest proposal would also include the unfreezing of certain Iranian assets in foreign banks.
“Despite discussions initiated today (Sunday), the United States continues to block certain clauses of the agreement, notably the issue of unblocking frozen Iranian assets, and these points remain unresolved at this time,” stated the Tasnim news agency by the end of the day.
Later on, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared to The New York Times from New Delhi, “Nuclear negotiations are highly technical questions. You cannot resolve a nuclear issue within 72 hours over a table,”
Once the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is secured, “we will start, according to agreed modalities, very serious negotiations on enrichment, on highly enriched uranium, and on their commitment to never possess nuclear weapons,” he said, mentioning a “60-day” deadline in this regard.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he had agreed with Mr. Trump that any final agreement with Iran must “completely eliminate the nuclear threat,” according to a statement following a telephone conversation Saturday evening between the two allies.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a mediator in these negotiations, on Sunday fueled the scenario of a multi-stage resolution of the conflict, expressing hope to “soon welcome the next negotiation session.” A first session was held in Islamabad on April 11, without any breakthrough.
– “Right to self-defense” –
On the Lebanese front, two people were killed on Sunday by Israeli strikes, following an Israeli raid on Saturday that killed 11, as announced by the Ministry of Health, despite the ongoing ceasefire since April 17.
Mr. Netanyahu stated on Sunday that during their phone call, Donald Trump reiterated “the right” of Israel to defend itself on all fronts, including in Lebanon, while Hezbollah leader Na’im Qassem expressed hope that the agreement between Washington and Tehran would include his country.
But the Shiite movement leader once again rejected direct negotiations between the Lebanese government and Israel, with a fourth session scheduled to begin in early June in Washington, and warned that any disarmament of his organization, demanded by the Lebanese authorities, would represent an “Israeli project.”
The American Secretary of State accused the pro-Iranian movement of wanting to “plunge Lebanon back into chaos.”
