Iran says progress made with U.S., but agreement not imminent

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - May 25, 2026 04:29 pm IST - Tehran Vessels sail through the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 22, 2026. File | Photo Credit: Reuters Iran said on Monday (May 25, 2026) that Tehran and Washington had reached understandings on many issues in exchanges over a deal for ending the war, but warned an agreement was not imminent. "It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, during a weekly news briefing. "But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent -no one can make such a claim," he said, accusing Washington of "contradictions" and shifting its positions. ALSO WATCH Trump says agreement with Iran ‘largely negotiated’ The remarks come after Iran said it was finalising a 14-point framework for a deal on ending the war with the United States which broke out on February 28. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal to end the war with Iran could materialise on Monday (May 25, 2026) as U.S. President Donald Trump said his negotiators not to "rush". During the press conference, Mr. Baqaei insisted that the framework being drafted "is focused on ending the war" across the region, including in Lebanon. He reiterated that details on Iran's nuclear programme — a key sticking point for Washington — were not included and that the issue would only be discussed after the two sides agree on the framework. Clauses on ending the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, in place since April 13, and arrangements on the strategic Strait of Hormuz were included, he said. "U.S. actions under the title of a naval blockade must be stopped, and at the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the necessary measures for safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz," he said. ALSO WATCH Trump tells negotiators not to rush Iran deal amid ceasefire talks Traffic through Hormuz, a vital global shipping route, has come under Iranian control since the outbreak of the war. Iran, which has only allowed a trickle of ships to pass through the strait, has insisted that vessels obtain permission from its armed forces before transiting the waterway. Mr. Baqaei said Iran was not imposing tolls on ships transiting the strait but rather collecting fees for "navigational services". "The services that are provided - navigational services in addition to the measures necessary to protect the environment of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman require the collection of certain fees," he said, adding that Iran was "not seeking to collect tolls". Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.

Iran says progress made with U.S., but agreement not imminent

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Iran says progress made with U.S., but agreement not imminent

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