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Iran has indicated that negotiations with the United States are moving towards a preliminary framework, but warned that a final agreement remains distant amid deep mistrust and unresolved differences. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said talks had “moved closer” to a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) following weeks of indirect exchanges, though he stressed that the process has not reached a stage where any deal can be considered imminent.
Baghaei said that while progress has been made in narrowing disagreements, substantial gaps persist, particularly over the scope and sequencing of commitments between the two sides.
The proposed framework, according to Iranian officials, is expected to focus initially on ending hostilities, addressing regional tensions and resolving issues such as maritime security and the release of frozen Iranian assets. However, more contentious matters, including Iran's nuclear programme and the lifting of sanctions, are likely to be deferred to later stages of negotiations.
Baghaei also reiterated concerns over the reliability of US commitments, saying there were "no guarantees" that Washington would honour any agreement reached. The remark reflects longstanding Iranian scepticism following the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal during Donald Trump's first presidency.
The US and Iran have “largely negotiated” a peace pact to end the nearly three-month war, US President Donald Trump said, asserting that he has told the negotiators “not to rush into a deal” and that “both sides must take their time and get it right.” Trump said the US blockade of ships in the Strait of Hormuz "will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified and signed."
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The Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council stated that there would “no surrender or retreat,” in a published message, indicating Tehran's stance when it comes to its conflict with Washington.
Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir is likely to travel to Doha amid intensifying diplomatic efforts surrounding the US-Iran negotiations, the report Al Arabiya added.
Iran is reportedly seeking guarantees from China before finalising any potential agreement with the United States, according to Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya, which cited unidentified sources. The report also claimed that Tehran wants its uranium stockpile to be transferred to China as part of the proposed arrangement.
Iran has allowed 32 ships to cross the Strait of Hormuz in the past day, according to FARS news agency.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said and a negotiator are in Qatar to engage in talks to end the war, according to AFP news
An official from Moody's sees Brent trading at $90-$100/bbl for the rest of the year with the assumption that Hormuz opens. The Global corporate bond markets were fairly competitive. India's fuel prices are not very high for demand destruction, according to the firm.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will not attend the UN Security Council meeting in New York due to issues with his US visa, according to Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (Adnoc) has been quietly shipping oil and gas out of the Persian Gulf using its own fleet, reportedly clearing both Iranian and US naval forces to supply energy-starved customers. It has relied on tactics like dark transits, where vessels cross the Strait of Hormuz with transponders off.
Tracking data and traders say Adnoc has been among the most successful at moving supplies out of the Middle East during nearly three months of war. Other regional producers and Western traders, who mostly lease tankers, have been more constrained by shipowners’ risk tolerance.
(Source: Bloomberg)
European natural gas prices dropped as much as 6.7%, extending last week’s decline, on optimism that a US-Iran deal could reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global energy supplies.
Benchmark futures fell after President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations are proceeding in an “orderly and constructive manner,” though he noted the US would not rush into a deal.
(Source: Bloomberg)
Israeli forces targeted the municipality of al-Haniyah and its surroundings in the Tyre district of southern Lebanon with incendiary bombs, according to Al Jazeera Arabic. Separately, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that the outskirts of Qatrani municipality, also in southern Lebanon, were subjected to an Israeli raid.
(Source: Al Jazeera)
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, cast doubt on Monday on the reliability of any potential agreement with the United States, saying Tehran had no guarantees that Washington would honour its commitments, Al Jazeera reported.
The US has made significant progress in negotiations with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but President Donald Trump is maintaining a cautious approach and will not accept a bad deal, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday.
The remarks by the US Secretary of State, currently on a four-day trip to India, came amid indications that the US and Iran are looking at a preliminary deal to reopen the shipping lane before hammering out a comprehensive peace agreement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran is working to find the best solution for the country. At a news conference, he stated Iran chose the timing to respond to the "enemy, as happened before." Baghaei added that "at this stage, we are not talking about the nuclear issue" and that Iran's focus is on ending the war.
Iran's FM spokesman says framework reached but US-Iran deal not imminent. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says statements made by Israel are misleading and aimed at diverting public attention.
Global business growth stalled in May as the Middle East conflict increasingly weighed on major economies, according to S&P Global Flash PMI surveys. Europe saw the worst impact, with both the UK and eurozone economies slipping into decline. Meanwhile, expansions in the United States and Japan lost momentum and shifted into lower gear.
Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for parliament’s Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy, issued a defiant statement on X amid deal negotiations.
In a post on X, Rezaei wrote, "During the military war, our tactic was an eye for an eye; in the diplomatic war, it is action against action. Do not believe the bluff of the failed president; time is against the Americans. If they want an agreement, they should negotiate; if they want $6 gas, they should stand firm and bluff until the grass grows under their feet. Iran does not bow to force or threats." [sic]
A Parliamentary panel will meet today to look into the impact of the West Asia crisis on India's maritime trade and seafarer safety.
The department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has called the Secretary, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways for the discussion.
The members of the panel would discuss the subject 'Implications of the West Asia crisis on India's maritime trade, shipping infrastructure and seafarer safety, the Rajya Sabha Secretariat said.
A senior Iranian official issued a stark military warning on Monday, declaring Iran's "finger is on the trigger" for a potential fourth round of fighting even as negotiations with the United States over a nuclear deal remain ongoing.
On Lebanon, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, "We're working on it separately. With Lebanon, we are engaged; we have a 45-day ceasefire. We've had weekly meetings now and ongoing daily engagements between the government of Lebanon and Israel. The problem is not Lebanon and Israel; the problem is Hezbollah. Just last night, Hezbollah put out a statement calling for the overthrow of the Lebanese government.
And it just reminds you of who you are dealing with here. An Iranian proxy, 100% Iranian proxy. As long as an armed Hezbollah exists, it's going to be hard to achieve peace in Lebanon because they're victimising the people of Lebanon. They're not just attacking Israel; they are victimising the people of Lebanon who are paying a tremendous price because of Hezbollah. But we're working that track with the Lebanese government and the Israeli government, and we've made some good progress there. An extended ceasefire path forward.
We're going to continue to work on that. Well, Israel always has the right to protect itself. Every country in the world does. And so if Hezbollah is going to launch missiles or launch missiles at them, Israel has every right to respond to that or to prevent that from happening..."
On Iran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, "The President is not going to make a bad deal. No one has been more serious about the threat of a nuclear Iran than President Trump has been. And so I'm very confident that we should all be very confident that we're either going to have a good agreement or we're going to have to deal with it another way. We'd prefer to have a good agreement."
#WATCH | Delhi: On Iran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, "The President is not going to make a bad deal. No one has been more serious about the threat of a nuclear Iran than President Trump has been. And so I'm very confident that we should all be very confident that… https://t.co/RJikpNJ1dG pic.twitter.com/DwNzkk3XG8
— ANI (@ANI) May 25, 2026
The US and Iran are closing in on a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, senior US officials said Sunday, even as President Donald Trump said he won't "rush" into an agreement.
Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei is sheltering in a secret, undisclosed location and is communicating with his own government exclusively through a network of couriers, CBS News reported, citing US officials with knowledge of the matter. The security posture so extreme that even senior Iranian officials have no direct way to reach him, the report said.
According to CBS News, officials at the highest levels of the Iranian government say they do not know where Mojtaba Khamenei is and have no way to contact him directly, relying instead on a network of couriers
US President Donald Trump took to Truth Social late Sunday night to defend his administration's ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, while simultaneously acknowledging that no deal has yet been finalised.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on Sunday during a diplomatic mission in India, telling reporters at a news conference that no president has been stronger against Iran than Trump.
“His commitment to that principle that they'll never have a nuclear weapon shouldn't be questioned by anybody,” Rubio said.
“And the idea that somehow this president, given everything he's already proven he's 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. That's just not going to happen.”
Trump also hit out at former President Barack Obama's 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and suggested that Iran could join the Abraham Accords.
“I would like to thank, thus far, all of the countries of the Middle East for their support and cooperation, which will be further enhanced and strengthened by their joining the Nations of the historic Abraham Accords and, who knows, perhaps the Islamic Republic of Iran would like to join, as well,” Trump said.
Global benchmark Brent crude fell as much as 5.4% to $97.97 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate traded below $92. The decline marks Brent's fourth drop in five sessions and puts prices on track for their lowest close in more than a month.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump wrote, "If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one, not like the one made by Obama, which gave Iran massive amounts of CASH, and a clear and open path to a Nuclear Weapon. Our deal is the exact opposite, but nobody has seen it, or knows what it is. It isn’t even fully negotiated yet. So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about. Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem many years ago, I don’t make bad deals!"
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