MAY 25, 2026
U.S. and Iran describe progress toward a peace framework but say a final agreement is not imminent
President Trump said on Monday that negotiations with Iran are "proceeding nicely," while warning that military operations would resume if no deal is reached. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said a "degree of understanding" has been reached on many issues but that an agreement is not imminent. Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Doha, Qatar on Monday for further talks, according to sources briefed on the visit.
The United States and Iran appear to be converging on a memorandum of understanding that would end the war, gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and open a 60-day negotiating window on nuclear and sanctions issues, according to regional officials and a U.S. official who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from India on Monday, described the negotiations as "still a work in progress" and said Trump "is not in a hurry" and "is not going to make a bad agreement." A senior U.S. official told CNN the framework would give parties 60 days to reach final deal points.
Iran's delegation in Doha focused talks on "issues relating to the Strait and highly enriched uranium," a diplomat briefed on the visit told CNN. Under the potential deal, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen gradually in parallel with the U.S. ending its blockade of Iranian ports, with sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian funds to be negotiated during the 60-day period, AP reported. Iran holds 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity — a short technical step from weapons-grade levels, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency — and the draft deal would require Tehran to surrender that stockpile, though the mechanics remain subject to further talks, AP said. Russia has offered to accept the transferred material, AP reported.
Several significant gaps remain. AP reported that questions over whether Iran could continue enriching uranium at all, the fate of its missile program, and the role of Iran-backed proxies in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, and Gaza are unsettled. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tehran's nuclear program is not part of discussions "at this stage" and that Iran would only enter nuclear talks after a formal end to the war is declared. He also stated there is "no guarantee whatsoever that the United States will abide by its commitments," a concern NPR noted had been raised repeatedly by Iranian officials citing shifting U.S. positions.