Rubio said:<\/p>\n
double quotation markWe have made some progress over the last 48 hours working with our partners in the Gulf region on an outline that could ultimately \u2013 if it succeeds \u2013 leave us not just with a completely open strait \u2026 and with addressing some of the key things that underpin what has been Iran\u2019s nuclear weapons ambitions in the past.<\/p>\n
Updated at\u00a004.10 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed signs of progress in US-Iran peace talks.<\/p>\n \u201cI welcome the progress towards an agreement between the US and Iran. We need a deal that truly de-escalates the conflict, reopens the strait of Hormuz and guarantees toll-free full freedom of navigation. Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon,\u201d von der Leyen wrote on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt must also end its destabilising actions in the region, directly or through proxies, as well as its unjustified and repeated attacks on its neighbours,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n A senior Iranian source has told the Reuters news agency that if Iran\u2019s supreme national security council approved the memorandum, it would be sent to supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei for final approval.<\/p>\n No verified recording or visual sighting of Khamenei has been broadcast since he was appointed supreme leader in early March. Reports have suggested that he was severely injured in the US-Israeli bombing that killed his 86-year-old father and predecessor on 28 February.<\/p>\n A man walks past a large banner depicting Iran’s current supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei (L) and late father Ali Khamenei along a street in Tehran on 6 May 2026. Photograph: AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a>What could be in the potential US-Iran deal?<\/p>\n As we have been reporting, Donald Trump has said that a Memorandum of Understanding in talks to end the US-Israel war on Iran<\/a> \u201chas been largely negotiated\u201d.<\/p>\n Official details of the potential deal are scant and it remains possible that some aspects of the memo could change. But here is what we know so far about the potential agreement that could bring an end to the war.<\/p>\n \u2013 The deal would involve a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran could freely sell oil, and talks on limiting Iran\u2019s nuclear program would be held, a US official told Axios<\/a>.<\/p>\n – Iran<\/a> would also agree to clear the mines it deployed in the strait and not impose any tolls on ships \u2013 and in exchange, the US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports that has been in effect since 13 April, Axios reported.<\/p>\n – The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said on Sunday that the deal could achieve \u201ca completely open\u201d strait of Hormuz \u201cwithout tolls\u201d if successful.<\/p>\n – But Iranian media reported that the strait of Hormuz would remain under Iranian control.<\/p>\n – The deal would reportedly unfreeze some Iranian assets that are being held in banks outside Iran.<\/p>\n – Hostilities would reportedly be halted on all fronts, including Israel<\/a> and Lebanon.<\/p>\n – A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday that Tehran had not agreed to hand over its highly enriched uranium (HEU) stockpile.<\/p>\n \u2013 The source said Iran\u2019s nuclear issue was not part of the preliminary agreement with the US.<\/p>\n \u2013 The statement came after the NY Times, citing two US officials<\/a>, reported that Tehran had apparently expressed a willingness to give up its stockpile.<\/p>\n \u2013 Even if Tehran does agree to give up some of its HEU stockpile, there has been no mention of how this would happen in practice.<\/p>\n \u2013 There has also been little mention of Iran\u2019s ballistic missile programme or the curbing of its support for its regional allies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a005.24 EDT<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s prime minister, Keir Starmer, said he supports the nearing of an agreement between the US and Iran toward ending the war and reopening the strait of Hormuz. In a post on X<\/a>, Starmer wrote:<\/p>\n double quotation markI welcome the progress towards an agreement between the US and Iran. We need to see an agreement that brings the conflict to an end and reopens the strait of Hormuz, with unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation. <\/p>\n It\u2019s vital that Iran must never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. My government will continue to do everything we can to protect British people from the impact of this conflict. We will work with our international partners to seize this moment and achieve a long-term diplomatic settlement.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Rubio said that the path to a durable agreement would require \u201cfull Iranian acceptance and then compliance\u201d, and \u201cfuture work\u201d would have to be done to finalise \u201cthe details\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you are talking about a nuclear programme, as an example, these are highly technical matters and ones that would probably need to be addressed over some period of time,\u201d the secretary of state said.<\/p>\n Responding to the criticism of the emerging deal from senior Republicans (see post at 08.28<\/a>), Rubio said Donald Trump\u2019s commitment to Iran never possessing a nuclear weapon is unwavering.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd the idea that somehow this president, given everything he has already proven he is willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is just not going to happen. But our preference is to address this through a diplomatic means and that is what we are endeavouring to do here.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Rubio says ‘significant’ progress made in talks with Iran<\/p>\n The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has been talking to reporters in New Delhi during a diplomatic visit to India.<\/p>\n \u201cI do think perhaps there is the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news,\u201d Rubio told the media.<\/p>\n He added that \u201csignificant\u201d progress had been made in peace talks with Iran<\/a> but cautioned that this was not \u201cfinal\u201d progress. Rubio reiterated that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon and that the strait of Hormuz has to be open to global marine traffic without tolls being charged by Tehran for safe passage.<\/p>\n Rubio said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWe have made some progress over the last 48 hours working with our partners in the Gulf region on an outline that could ultimately \u2013 if it succeeds \u2013 leave us not just with a completely open strait \u2026 and with addressing some of the key things that underpin what has been Iran\u2019s nuclear weapons ambitions in the past.<\/p>\n Marco Rubio (pictured) attends a joint press conference with Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar after their meeting in New Delhi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.10 EDT<\/p>\n While there is little doubt that waves of US and Israeli airstrikes heavily degraded Iran\u2019s military capabilities, many of Donald Trump\u2019s core objectives remain unfulfilled and he is now essentially trying to get back to the status quo of the strait of Hormuz being freely open to international vessels.<\/p>\n A stockpile of highly enriched uranium is also still believed to remain buried following US and Israeli airstrikes last June and Iran reportedly retains much of its pre-war missile stockpile despite US-Israeli attacks.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Texas senator Ted Cruz has said he is \u201cdeeply concerned\u201d about the reports of the potential deal being struck between Tehran and Washington.<\/p>\n He said Donald Trump<\/a> was right to launch the initial strikes on Iran in late February, in which the country\u2019s former supreme leader Ali Khamenei was killed, but urged the president to \u201ccontinue to hold the line\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was right to do so, and we achieved extraordinary military results-including destroying all of their missiles & drones and sinking their entire navy,\u201d Cruz, who is among the Republican lawmakers most supportive of airstrikes on Iran, wrote in a post on X<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime-still run by Islamists who chant \u201cdeath to America\u201d-now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said he was concerned about reports detailing the terms of an emerging deal between the US and Iran. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst\/ReutersShare<\/a>Interim summary<\/p>\n In case you\u2019re just joining us, here\u2019s a recap of the day\u2019s key news amid the Middle East crisis.<\/p>\n The US and Iran reportedly sought on Sunday to finalise an agreement to formally end the Middle East war after Donald Trump<\/a> said a proposal that included reopening the strait of Hormuz was \u201clargely negotiated\u201d. \u201cFinal aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,\u201d the US president posted on his Truth Social platform, without giving details.<\/p>\n Trump emphasised the deal was still \u201csubject to finalisation\u201d, while news reports said a draft indicated the two sides would address contentious issues about Iran\u2019s nuclear program only after an initial pact was reached.<\/p>\n Leaders from Middle Eastern countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain as well as Pakistani and Turkish representatives joined a call with Trump to discuss the deal on Saturday, the US president said.<\/p>\n Mediator Pakistan hoped to host another round of talks \u201cvery soon\u201d, said the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif. US vice-president JD Vance led US delegation to Islamabad in the first round of peace talks with Iran six weeks ago which ended without an agreement.<\/p>\n Trump said a separate call with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu \u201cwent very well\u201d.<\/p>\n The potential US-Iran agreement involves a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the Hormuz strait would be reopened, the Axios new site reported, and Tehran would be able to freely sell oil. Negotiations would be held on curbing Iran\u2019s nuclear program, it said, citing an American official, while also saying the details were in an agreement draft and \u201ccould still fall apart\u201d.<\/p>\n Iranians drive in a street in Tehran at the weekend. Photograph: Abedin Taherkenareh\/EPA<\/p>\n Iran has not commented on Trump\u2019s announcement of a deal being close but Iran\u2019s Tasnim semi-official news agency said that under a potential memorandum of understanding the US would waive its sanctions against selling Iranian oil. It also said Tehran had not yet agreed to any actions on its nuclear program and that the potential agreement included ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon.<\/p>\n The results of the latest negotiations on the Iran war \u201coffer grounds for optimism that a positive and durable outcome is within reach\u201d, the foreign minister of mediator Pakistan said.<\/p>\n Former Trump secretary of state Mike Pompeo denounced the apparent emerging deal as benefiting Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guard and being too close to the terms Barack Obama\u2019s negotiators struck with Iran in a nuclear agreement Trump later abandoned.<\/p>\n In Lebanon, the civil defence agency said early on Sunday its regional facility in the southern city of Nabatieh had been destroyed by an Israeli strike. The agency condemned \u201cthis attack on a centre dedicated to humanitarian and relief work\u201d, also saying there were no reports of casualties among its personnel. Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.38 EDT<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Tasnim semi-official news agency is saying Tehran has not yet agreed to any actions on its nuclear program and that under the potential memorandum of understanding between Iran<\/a> and the US, Washington would waive its sanctions against selling Iranian oil.<\/p>\n The MOU also emphasises ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon, according to Tasnim, and that Israel<\/a> would have to end the war in Lebanon.<\/p>\n It said a 30-day period would be allocated for procedures relating to the strait of Hormuz and an end to the US blockade of Iranian ports, while a 60-day period would be set for nuclear negotiations.<\/p>\n Under the MOU, part of Iran\u2019s frozen funds must be released during the first phase of the agreement, Tasnim is saying, quoted by Reuters.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a003.31 EDT<\/p>\n The foreign minister of mediator Pakistan has said the achievements of the latest negotiations on the Iran<\/a> war \u201coffer grounds for optimism that a positive and durable outcome is within reach\u201d.<\/p>\n Ishaq Dar said Donald Trump\u2019s phone call <\/a>with Middle Eastern leaders and Pakistan \u201cmarks a significant step closer toward the shared objective of regional peace, stability and an early diplomatic outcome\u201d.<\/p>\n He also said in the post on X<\/a>:<\/p>\n double quotation markPakistan remains firmly committed to supporting all sincere efforts aimed at lasting peace, mutual respect, and regional stability.\u201d<\/p>\n Dar, who is also deputy prime minister, added:<\/p>\n double quotation markDialogue and diplomacy must prevail over conflict and confrontation for the collective prosperity and security of our region and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan says he welcomes the latest developments on the Iran<\/a> war and believes \u201cappropriate solutions\u201d can be found on the nuclear and other contentious issues.<\/p>\n Erdo\u011fan also said Turkey \u201cstands ready to provide every kind of support\u201d during the potential deal\u2019s implementation phase and that \u201ca just peace would have no losers\u201d.<\/p>\n A post on X<\/a> from the Turkish presidency said held a teleconference with Donald Trump and Middle Eastern leaders and mediator Pakistan as well as US cabinet members and expressed that \u201can agreement to secure free passage through the Strait of Hormuz would support stability in the region, providing a relief to global economy\u201d.<\/p>\n Seeking \u2018a new era\u2019: Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan. Photograph: Turkish presidency\/APAImages\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n In the call Erdo\u011fan said that \u201cappropriate solutions could be found over the course of the process to the issues that look contentious within the context of Iran, including the nuclear issue\u201d.<\/p>\n The post also said:<\/p>\n double quotation markUnderscoring that T\u00fcrkiye desires a new era in which countries of the region do not pose threats to one another, President Erdo\u011fan added that a just peace would have no losers.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a002.18 EDT<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s ambassador to Saudi Arabia has said conditions are now right for Middle Eastern countries to \u201cunite in the reconstruction of the region\u201d and build it up.<\/p>\n Alireza Enayati also said on X<\/a> (in a translation) that Iran had \u201cstrong ropes that have kept the tent of Iran safe from fierce winds and destructive storms throughout history\u201d and that it \u201cremains proud\u201d during hardships.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n double quotation markIran is a new opportunity for the region to think about the future by moving away from the repetitive literature of the past. Now, conditions are in place for all countries in the region to unite in the reconstruction of the region and to work together to build the region.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.14 EDT<\/p>\n Iran executed one person for charges related to sending information to the US and Israel<\/a> during the war, the Iranian judiciary\u2019s Mizan news agency reported on Sunday, according to Reuters.<\/p>\n The individual was sending data about Iran\u2019s defence industry to \u201cthe enemy\u201d, the news agency alleged.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a001.14 EDT<\/p>\n The draft agreement between the US and Iran also makes clear the Israel- Hezbollah war in Lebanon would end, Axios<\/a> is reporting.<\/p>\n The newsite quotes an unnamed Israeli official as saying Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed concern about that condition \u2013 and other aspects of the deal \u2013 during a call with Donald Trump on Saturday.<\/p>\n The report went on:<\/p>\n double quotation markThe US official said it would not be a \u2018one-sided ceasefire\u2019 and if Hezbollah tried to rearm or instigate attacks, Israel would be allowed to take action to prevent it. \u2018If Hezbollah behaves, Israel will behave.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n As just mentioned<\/a>, the report says the agreement is only in unfinalised draft form and \u201ccould still fall apart\u201d, according to a US official.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a000.22 EDT<\/p>\n Peace draft involves reopening Hormuz strait during 60-day truce extension \u2013 report<\/p>\n The agreement the US and Iran<\/a> are reportedly close to signing involves a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the strait of Hormuz would be reopened, according to Axios.<\/p>\n During that time Iran would be able to freely sell oil and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran\u2019s nuclear program, the US news site is reporting<\/a>, citing an American official, while also saying the details were in an agreement \u201cdraft\u201d as it currently stood.<\/p>\n \u201cThose details have not been confirmed by the Iranian side, though Tehran has also indicated a deal is getting close,\u201d the report says.<\/p>\n Some of the draft details look to align with what is being reported from sources quoted by the Associated Press and the New York Times, as our full report<\/a> details.<\/p>\n The deal would avoid an escalation of the war and decrease the pressure on the global oil supply, Axios says, adding:<\/p>\n double quotation markHowever, it\u2019s unclear whether it will lead to a lasting peace agreement that also addresses President Trump\u2019s nuclear demands.\u201d<\/p>\n The report says that during the 60-day Hormuz strait reopening, Iran would agree to clear mines it deployed in the waterway and allow ships to pass freely. In exchange, the US would lift its blockade on Iranian ports.<\/p>\n The report also says:<\/p>\n double quotation markBoth Trump and the mediators have indicated the deal could be announced on Sunday, though it has not been finalized and could still fall apart.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Marco](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5500.jpg\")
Marco Rubio (pictured) attends a joint press conference with Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar after their meeting in New Delhi. Photograph: Adnan Abidi\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n
With news agencies<\/p>\n