Trump says he won't rush a deal with Iran

On 24 May 2026, in a post on Truth Social, Donald Trump ordered his negotiators "not to rush" toward a deal with Iran, stating that "time is on our side." The message came hours after Marco Rubio, speaking from New Delhi, had announced imminent "good news." No agreement was signed that Sunday, with both sides still negotiating the precise wording of several points in the framework deal.

This sequence unfolds within a ceasefire in effect since 8 April 2026, which followed an open conflict that began on 28 February. The truce remains partial: Washington maintains a blockade of Iranian ports while Tehran keeps controls on Gulf shipping. The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil trade normally passes, is the core of the talks, with the nuclear question deferred to a later phase.

Keeping the naval blockade in place while slowing negotiations reflects a wait-and-see calculation: Iran's sanctioned economy bears the cost of the blockade more acutely than Western markets. U.S. strikes on Iranian missile sites on 25 May coexisted with the talks, illustrating the juxtaposition of military pressure and a negotiated track.

Several points remain disputed among actors. The release of frozen Iranian assets is presented by some as a central obstacle and ignored by others. Qatar's mediating role and internal divisions within the U.S. Senate are likewise reported unevenly. The exact shape of any eventual agreement remains uncertain.