Iran said on Monday that Tehran and Washington had reached understandings on many issues in exchanges over a deal to end the Iran war, but both sides stopped short of declaring a breakthrough. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said a large portion of the issues under discussion had reached a conclusion, while also warning that signing 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," Baqaei said. "But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent -- no one can make such a claim." He also accused Washington of shifting its positions, underscoring how fragile the talks remain even as they appear to have moved further than they had in recent days.
The comments landed on a day when Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in New Delhi that a deal could materialize "today," though he urged caution about reading too much into the timing. "We thought we might have some news last night, maybe today; I wouldn't read too much into it," Rubio said, adding that Washington had "a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits, get the straits open." He said the proposal had "a lot of support in the Gulf" and described the nuclear talks as a possible "very real, significant, time-limited negotiation."
Rubio's remarks suggest the U.S. is trying to frame the talks not only as a ceasefire-related opening but also as a test of whether Iran will accept constraints that Washington sees as enforceable and immediate. He said Iran would either enter that negotiation or the United States would "deal with the country another way," while also saying diplomacy would get every chance to work before Washington considered alternatives. The exchange echoed the broader pressure campaign around the Iran war, which has already driven lawmakers and allies to track the administration's next move closely, as reflected in recent coverage of the political trap around Trump's Iran war and the Senate war powers challenge.
The diplomacy is unfolding alongside other regional maneuvering. Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, was in Beijing on Monday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for talks with Chinese leaders after spending Friday and Saturday in Tehran with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi as part of mediation efforts to formally end the Iran war. China said it would work with Pakistan to make positive contributions to the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East, putting two major regional players into the diplomatic frame as Washington and Tehran continue their exchanges.
At the same time, the conflict's military edge remained visible. Israel's military warned residents of 10 villages, most of them in southern Lebanon, to evacuate their homes ahead of expected strikes against alleged Hezbollah targets. The warning, aimed at villages within 1,000 meters of the targeted areas, showed that even as negotiators edged toward understandings, the battlefield surrounding the war had not gone quiet.
For now, the clearest reading is that the talks have moved forward enough to keep alive the possibility of a deal, but not enough to make one inevitable. Tehran says key issues are largely settled. Washington says the proposal is strong. The gap between those claims -- and the history of shifting positions on both sides -- is still where the outcome will be decided.
