President Donald Trump said Sunday that U.S. negotiators should not rush into a final agreement with Iran, tempering earlier statements from both sides that suggested an announcement was imminent. Trump wrote on Truth Social that talks are "constructive" but that "both sides must take their time and get it right," adding that "time is on our side." A senior administration official told NBC News that the agreement would not be signed Sunday but that progress had been made.

The framework under discussion is not a final settlement but rather a memorandum of understanding that would establish a 60-day window for further negotiations. Key elements of the proposed deal include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran effectively closed after the conflict began, and a commitment by Iran to surrender its stockpile of enriched uranium — referred to by Trump as "nuclear dust" — in exchange for a gradual easing of the U.S. naval blockade. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters in New Delhi on Monday, said there was a "pretty solid thing on the table" regarding both the strait and a "time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter."

However, significant gaps remain between the two sides on core terms. Iranian state media and officials have said the strait will reopen only if the U.S. lifts its naval blockade within 30 days and that the channel would not return to pre-war operating conditions. Iranian state media also disputed the characterization of Iran's commitment to removing nuclear materials, and foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the two sides are simultaneously "very close and very far" from an agreement. Unresolved issues include the scope and timing of sanctions relief, the release of frozen Iranian funds, and the extent of limits on Iran's nuclear program.

The conflict began on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes against Iran, triggering Iranian counterattacks against Israel and U.S.-allied Gulf states. Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which roughly 20 percent of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes — sent global energy prices sharply higher. A ceasefire was reached in early April, after which the U.S. imposed a blockade on Iranian ports that Trump has said will remain in place until a final deal is signed.

The proposed framework has divided Republican lawmakers, with some warning it concedes too much to Tehran. Senator Ted Cruz called a potential deal a "disastrous mistake," and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker argued that a 60-day ceasefire extension would negate the gains of military operations under what he called Operation Epic Fury. Representative Mike Lawler of the House Foreign Affairs Committee took a more supportive stance, crediting the administration with forcing Iran into substantive negotiations. Iran is believed to have held approximately 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity at the outset of the conflict — material that could be further processed to weapons-grade levels.