TEHRAN/WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM – The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday that a framework has been reached, but an agreement with the United States is not imminent.
Iran is negotiating an end to the war and is not currently discussing nuclear issues, said a spokesperson for the ministry.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he has told US negotiators not to rush into a deal with Iran because "time is on our side."
"The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed," he said in a post on Truth Social. He added: "Both sides must take their time and get it right."
Iran will not be allowed to develop or procure a nuclear weapon, Trump reiterated, saying that the "negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner."
On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran and the US are working to finalize a memorandum of understanding on ending the war.
Rubio: Prepared for later nuclear talks
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US was prepared to enter "into very serious talks" about Iran's nuclear program if Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
The remarks suggested that Washington may take a phased approach and accept an interim agreement that did not immediately address Iran's nuclear program, according to the report.
"You can't do a nuclear thing in 72 hours on the back of a napkin," Rubio told the newspaper in a brief interview during his visit to New Delhi.
“The straits have to be immediately reopened, and then we will enter, under agreed-to parameters, into very serious talks about enrichment, about the highly enriched uranium and about their pledge to never have nuclear weapons," Rubio said.
“It can't take years, but it'll take some time to work through those technical matters," Rubio added.
He suggested that the US could renew its threats to attack Iran if the negotiations do not bear fruit within two months.
"Ultimately, the approach has to deliver what we want it to deliver," Rubio said. "If it doesn't, then the president has every option available to him in 60 days that he has available to him now."
White House: Deal could take days
The White House thinks it could take several days for the deal's approval by Iran's leadership, according to a report from US media Axios on Sunday.
While US officials are optimistic that a deal will be signed within days, they also acknowledge it has not been finalized and could still fall apart, said the report, citing a senior US official.
It is unclear whether the potential deal will lead to a lasting peace agreement that also addresses US nuclear demands.
Netanyahu: Final deal must remove nuclear threat
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he and US President Donald Trump have agreed that any final agreement with Iran must remove its nuclear threat.
"This means dismantling Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities and removing enriched nuclear material from its territory," Netanyahu wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
"My policy, like President Trump's policy, remains unchanged: Iran will not have nuclear weapons," he added.
Netanyahu said he had spoken with Trump overnight about a memorandum of understanding to open the Strait of Hormuz and upcoming negotiations on a final agreement over Iran's nuclear program.
Trump had "reiterated Israel's right to defend itself against threats on all fronts, including in Lebanon," he noted.
The remarks came amid reports of progress in US-Iran talks.
