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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday a deal with Iran could materialize "maybe today" but cautioned against reading too much into the timeline.
Meanwhile, Iran's Tasnim news agency said disagreements, including the release of frozen assets, remained unresolved and that the possibility of the understanding collapsing "still exists," as the two sides continue to describe the same deal in fundamentally different terms on three of its four core issues.
"We thought we might have some news last night. Maybe today. I wouldn't read too much into it," Rubio told reporters in New Delhi.
"We have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits, get the straits open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off," he added.
Rubio said the proposal had "a lot of support in the Gulf" and that every country briefed on it understood it was "not just very reasonable, but the right thing for the world to get done."
"The president's not going to make a bad agreement. So let's see what happens. We're going to give diplomacy every chance to succeed before we explore the alternatives," he said.
On Israel, Rubio said: "Israel always has a right to protect itself. If Hezbollah is going to launch missiles at them, Israel has every right to respond to that, or to prevent that from happening. That's always been understood. It's being understood during the ceasefire."
Iran's Tasnim News Agency said Sunday that "despite some talks held today, the U.S. obstruction of some provisions of the understanding, including the issue of releasing Iran's frozen assets, is still ongoing" and that "these issues have not been resolved so far."
It said the possibility of the understanding collapsing "still exists at present" and that Iran "will not back down from its red lines in securing the rights of its people."
In a subsequent report, Tasnim said Iran was "unwilling to link the issue of releasing its frozen assets to the nuclear materials issue", a direct rebuttal of U.S. framing that ties asset release to nuclear concessions.
An informed source cited by Tasnim said "no final understanding has been reached so far, and that challenges remain regarding some provisions," while adding that even if an initial MoU is reached, "this does not mean Iran's view of the US has changed or that it trusts Washington to fulfill its commitments."
A U.S. official separately told the New York Times (NYT) that Washington and Tehran had agreed in principle to a deal reopening Hormuz in exchange for Tehran's commitment to dispose of its highly enriched uranium.
The agreement had not yet been signed and required final approval from both Trump and Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, a process that could take several days.
"The proposed deal does not address Iran's missile stockpile or include a moratorium on enrichment, with those issues reserved for future talks," the official who spoke to NYT said.
On the Strait of Hormuz: Axios and Rubio describe a fully open strait with no tolls. Tasnim says the number of ships passing would be restored to pre-war volumes within 30 days, but Iran retains management of the waterway, and no changes happen unless the U.S. also fully lifts its naval blockade.
On frozen assets and sanctions: The U.S. proposes temporary oil sanctions waivers linked to Iran's actions on Hormuz; permanent relief comes only after verified nuclear concessions. Iran demands the immediate release of at least a portion of frozen assets as a precondition for signing any MoU and refuses to link asset release to the nuclear track.
On the nuclear file: U.S. officials and Axios say the draft includes Iranian commitments not to pursue nuclear weapons and to negotiate on enrichment suspension and uranium stockpile removal. Tasnim says Iran has accepted no nuclear commitments in the current draft and all nuclear issues are deferred to 60-day follow-on talks.
On ceasefire scope: Both sides agree the MoU would halt fighting on all fronts including Lebanon.
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