US President Donald Trump has moved to temper soaring expectations of an imminent Middle East peace accord, revealing he has ordered his negotiating team not to rush into an agreement with Iran. The announcement comes despite earlier signals from both Washington and Tehran that a draft framework was largely in place to end the regional war.
In a social media post on Sunday, the president made clear that economic pressure would not relent until a final pact is secured. “I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side,” Trump stated. “The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified and signed.”
The comments mark a significant shift in tone from just hours earlier, when Trump had posted that a deal “has been largely negotiated, subject to finali[s]ation.” The conflict erupted on February 28 following coordinated attacks by the United States and Israel, triggering a fierce Iranian response involving missiles and drones across the region. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since April 8, though tensions remain high with Iran controlling Gulf shipping lanes and the US Navy blockading Iranian ports.
Unresolved Issues and Nuclear Ambiguity
While diplomatic sources have confirmed the existence of a draft agreement, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that critical clauses remain “unresolved at this time,” specifically citing the fate of frozen Iranian assets. The nuclear question continues to loom over the talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the complexity of the situation in an interview with The New York Times, noting that a nuclear arrangement cannot be scribbled “in 72 hours on the of a napkin.” He did, however, confirm that a broad regional coalition is backing the American approach. “Right now, we have seven or eight countries in the region that are endorsing this approach, and we´re prepared to move forward on this approach,” Rubio said.
Iranian officials have stated that the most contentious issue—Tehran’s uranium enrichment program—has been deferred. According to the proposed framework, negotiations on the nuclear file would be postponed for 60 days after any initial deal is signed. President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran remains “prepared to assure the world that we are not seeking nuclear weapons,” though it is unclear if this verbal assurance will be codified in the text.
Regional Powers and Economic Relief
The diplomatic push has drawn in a wide array of regional stakeholders. Leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain joined a call with Trump on Saturday, alongside representatives from Turkey and Pakistan. Pakistan has played a pivotal role, mediating historic direct talks between US and Iranian delegations in April.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that Islamabad would host another round of negotiations “very soon,” describing the recent high-level calls as a “useful opportunity… to move the ongoing peace efforts forward to bring lasting peace in the region.”
As part of the potential deal, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that sanctions on oil, gas, and petrochemicals would be temporarily lifted during the negotiation period to allow Tehran to freely sell its products. However, staunch Trump ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that he and the president are aligned on one non-negotiable point: “any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear threat entirely.”
