U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday he had instructed his representatives not to rush into a deal with Iran, appearing to cool expectations of an imminent breakthrough in the three-month war.
Trump said the U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would “remain in full force and effect” until an agreement was reached, certified and signed.
“Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, while saying negotiations were progressing and that Washington’s relationship with Tehran had become more professional and productive.
His comments came a day after he said the United States and Iran had “largely negotiated” a memorandum of understanding on a peace deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key route that carried about one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments before the conflict.
The U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, with Trump repeatedly saying Washington acted to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Iran denies seeking nuclear arms and says its uranium enrichment programme is for civilian purposes.
It remains unclear whether Trump’s latest comments referred to the proposed memorandum or to a wider peace settlement, which would likely be harder to reach. The two sides remain divided over Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief and Tehran’s demand for the release of frozen Iranian oil revenues held in foreign banks.
A senior Iranian source told Reuters that if Iran’s Supreme National Security Council approved the memorandum, it would be sent to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei for final approval. Iran’s Tasnim news agency, however, reported that differences remained over one or two clauses and said no final understanding would be possible if Washington continued to create obstacles.
A military adviser to Khamenei also said Tehran had the legal right to manage the Strait of Hormuz, raising further uncertainty over whether Iran would continue deciding which vessels can pass through.
Any deal would ease pressure on global energy markets but would not immediately end the crisis. The head of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said last week that full flows through the strait were not expected to return before the first or second quarter of 2027.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said 33 vessels had passed through the strait in the past 24 hours after receiving permission from Tehran, far below the roughly 140 ships that crossed daily before the war.
Reuters reported that the proposed framework would unfold in three stages: formally ending the war, resolving the Hormuz crisis and opening a 30-day window for negotiations on a broader agreement, which could be extended.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said Saturday that talks had moved toward reducing disputes but that unresolved issues still needed to be discussed through mediators. He said ending the threat of new U.S. attacks and the parallel conflict in Lebanon remained Tehran’s priorities.
Trump spoke Saturday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan, who encouraged him to agree to the emerging framework, Axios reported.
The U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign killed thousands in Iran before a ceasefire began in early April. Israel’s campaign in Lebanon has also killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands, while Iranian strikes on Israel and Gulf states have killed dozens.
