On May 25, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared in New Delhi that Washington will either secure a robust agreement with Iran or confront Tehran via 'another way'. This statement came after President Donald Trump tempered expectations for an imminent deal to end the US-Israel war against Iran, which began on February 28.
'We think there could be news last night or today, but don't read too much into it,' Rubio said, referring to the possibility of reaching an agreement.
Rubio indicated that the US has a 'fairly solid' proposal on the negotiating table regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran. 'We have something I think is fairly solid concerning their ability to open the strait,' he told reporters in the Indian capital.
Washington and Tehran have observed a ceasefire since April 8, with mediators pushing for a negotiated solution. However, Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz to most vessels, and the US maintains a blockade of Iranian ports.
A day earlier, President Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US blockade would 'remain in full effect until a deal is reached, certified, and signed'. He added, 'Both sides must take their time and get it right'.
Iran did not immediately respond. However, the Tasnim news agency, affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, suggested that the US is still obstructing parts of a potential agreement.
'We will either have a good deal, or we will have to resolve it another way. We want a good deal,' Rubio said.
A senior Trump administration official, speaking anonymously, told Reuters that Iran has agreed 'in principle' to dispose of high-enriched uranium and reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its naval blockade. The official stated that the US understands Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has endorsed the overall framework of the agreement.
However, Iran has not confirmed this. The US official said Washington envisions reopening the strait and lifting the blockade first, while details on nuclear measures will require further negotiation. He dismissed suggestions that Iran has not accepted the disposal of enriched uranium. 'It's a matter of how to do it,' the official said.
Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera that the back-and-forth between the US and Iran suggests a deal is unlikely soon. 'I think this is par for the course for the Trump administration. One day they go this way, the next day another. Part of the negotiations are private, part of them are public diplomacy. Until there is concrete evidence that Iran agrees to remove high-enriched uranium and open the Strait of Hormuz unconditionally, we are still far from a durable agreement,' Kupchan said.
