Iran says no imminent nuclear deal despite US optimism over talks

Tehran pushed back hard against Washington’s upbeat tone, saying no nuclear deal was close even as the Trump administration talked openly about an agreement that could come together quickly. The clash exposed a widening gap between public diplomacy and the harder bargaining over sanctions, uranium, and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Marco Rubio said in New Delhi on May 25, 2026, that the United States would give diplomacy every chance to work, but warned that Washington would either get a good agreement with Iran or deal with it “another way.” He said there was a “pretty solid” proposal on the table that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch a time-limited negotiation on the nuclear issue.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, offered a far less optimistic account. Baghaei said on Monday that a framework existed and that conclusions had been reached on many topics, but that no agreement was imminent. He also said Iran was not currently discussing nuclear issues, and that the potential memorandum of understanding did not include specific details on how the Strait of Hormuz would be managed. The strait, he said, belongs to the coastal countries.

Donald Trump had earlier said the U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the strait would remain in force until an agreement was reached, certified and signed, while also telling negotiators not to rush. CBS News reported that a senior Trump administration official said Iran had in principle agreed to dispose of highly enriched uranium, and that the latest proposal included reopening the strait and unfreezing some Iranian assets held in foreign banks.

The talks were taking place against the backdrop of a three-month-old war, with Reuters reporting that the main sticking points included Iran’s nuclear ambitions, sanctions relief, the status of the Strait of Hormuz and tens of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian oil revenues held in foreign banks. Fars News Agency said any final arrangement would still leave the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian management, underscoring how far apart the two sides remained on sovereignty and oversight of the waterway.

Markets briefly treated the diplomacy as a breakthrough in the making. Oil prices fell about 5% to two-week lows on Monday as hopes for a deal grew, while shipping data showed some vessels beginning to resume routes through the Strait of Hormuz. For now, though, the negotiations still appear to be wrestling with the same unresolved issues that have stalled progress from the start: sanctions relief, enforcement, and who gets the final say over one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints.