Trump denies any pause as Rubio optimistic about deal; Iran says proposal under review
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN:
The United States and Iran issued sharply divergent accounts of ongoing negotiations over a possible deal on Tuesday, with President Donald Trump insisting talks are continuing “continuously” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced cautious optimism that an agreement could still be reached.
The competing narratives come as a three-month US-Israeli military campaign against Iran appears to have settled into an uneasy stalemate, with a fragile ceasefire holding unevenly and the strategic Strait of Hormuz remaining heavily disrupted, driving volatility across global energy markets.
Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said there was still a “prospect” for a deal, suggesting progress could come “today, tomorrow, or next week”, while stressing that any agreement would require Iran to halt uranium enrichment-linked activity and reopen key maritime routes.
“There is the prospect before us, which could happen today, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen next week,” Rubio said. “If they agree to give up those things, there will be sanctions relief.” Rubio also defended the impact of the military campaign, arguing it had significantly weakened Iran.
Trump, meanwhile, rejected suggestions of a diplomatic pause, insisting that communication with Tehran had continued without interruption. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said discussions had taken place “four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today”.
“The conversations between us have been going on continuously,” Trump said, adding that Iran must ultimately reach a deal after decades of confrontation. “It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal.”
Despite such assertions, Iranian media reports suggested Tehran had yet to respond to a proposed draft agreement and was taking a “stern” approach, citing deep mistrust of Washington and past failures to uphold commitments.
Quoting unnamed sources, Mehr News Agency and Fars News Agency said communication had slowed in recent days, with Iran’s latest messaging reportedly focused on developments in Lebanon and its support for Hezbollah.
Earlier reports from Iran suggested a more complicated picture. Iranian media, including Tasnim News Agency, said Tehran had suspended peace talks with Washington in response to Israeli actions in Lebanon. Trump dismissed the claim as “Fake news”, insisting that talks had not stopped.
According to US website Axios, Trump also directly intervened in regional tensions, pressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call to scale back military escalation and warning that he was “ crazy” for actions that could jeopardise negotiations with Iran.
The White House has not publicly confirmed the exchange. But in a separate statement, Netanyahu said he had spoken with Trump and told him that Israel would target “terror sites in Beirut” if Hezbollah attacks persisted.
The broader conflict, which escalated after US-Israeli strikes against Iran in late February, has killed thousands and intensified humanitarian pressure across multiple countries while also disrupting global energy supply chains after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said 24 vessels had transited the Strait of Hormuz within 24 hours under its supervision, while also claiming responsibility for an attack on a ship in the Gulf of Oman in retaliation for earlier US strikes.
