New Delhi: A potential breakthrough in the ongoing US-Iran negotiations may emerge within hours, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday during his visit to New Delhi, amid growing indications that a peace agreement between Washington and Tehran could be nearing completion.
Speaking at a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Rubio suggested that diplomatic efforts had made substantial headway and hinted at a possible announcement later in the day.
“I do think perhaps there is the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news,” Rubio told reporters in Delhi.
The top US diplomat said the proposed agreement would seek to address concerns surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically vital shipping route that Iran had largely restricted following the joint US-Israel military offensive.
Rubio said the emerging framework could initiate “a process that can ultimately leave us where the president wants us to be, and that is a world that no longer has to fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon.”
Reiterating Washington’s long-standing position, Rubio asserted that Tehran must never acquire nuclear weapons.
“Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and what they are doing now is basically they are threatening to destroy commercial vessels using an international waterway that is illegal under any concept of international law,” he said.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump claimed that a peace agreement with Iran had been “largely negotiated” following conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other regional allies. Posting on Truth Social, Trump said discussions on the final details were underway and described the negotiations as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE.”
According to Trump, reopening the Strait of Hormuz forms part of the proposed understanding. However, Tehran has pushed back against the claim, signalling that any easing of restrictions would remain limited.
Reports suggested Iran may permit maritime traffic to return to pre-war levels but would stop short of restoring unrestricted passage through the waterway.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), meanwhile, dismissed Trump’s remarks as “propaganda”, with Iran’s Fars News Agency reporting that no commitment had been made by Tehran on its nuclear programme.
“It is worth mentioning that Trump had previously announced negotiations about Iran’s nuclear programme as one of the main and inseparable conditions of any agreement. However, no commitment has been made by Iran, and the nuclear issue has not been discussed at this stage,” the IRGC reportedly said.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to reassure the international community over Tehran’s intentions, saying Iran remained willing to demonstrate that it was not pursuing nuclear weapons.
According to BBC, citing Iranian state media IRNA, Pezeshkian said in a Telegram post: “Prior to the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s late Leader, we declared – and we reiterate now – that we are ready to assure the world we do not seek nuclear weapons.”
He added that Iran did not seek regional instability but accused Israel of attempting to destabilise the region, while stressing that Iranian negotiators would not “compromise on the dignity and honour of the country”.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also said Tehran and Washington had moved closer in recent days, though he accused the United States of issuing “contradictory statements”. He said Iran was finalising a memorandum of understanding to facilitate further negotiations toward a final agreement.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, whose country has been mediating discussions, described recent negotiations as “grounds for optimism”, saying a positive outcome appeared “within reach”.
Global leaders also welcomed reports of progress, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen both reiterating that Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
