World·NewIran and the United States played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war on Monday, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying there will either be a good agreement or Washington would deal with the country in "another way."Talks hinge on Strait of Hormuz, nuclear issues, and release of frozen Iranian fundsThomson Reuters · Posted: May 25, 2026 5:55 AM EDT | Last Updated: 22 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi Monday that the U.S. would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before exploring "alternatives." (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Reuters)Iran and the United States played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war on Monday, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying there will either be a good agreement or Washington would deal with the country in "another way."Rubio told reporters in New Delhi that the U.S. would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before exploring "alternatives," after President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any Iran deal.There was a "pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the strait, get the strait open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off," Rubio said.Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Iran was negotiating an end to the war and was not currently discussing nuclear issues.Is the U.S. military running out of weapons?Details emerge about potential Iran deal as Trump says not to rushThe spokesperson added that a framework had been reached but no one could say an agreement between the United States and Iran was imminent. The potential memorandum of understanding contained no specific details about the management of the Strait of Hormuz, which belongs to the coastal countries, he said. A day earlier, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the U.S. blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz would "remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.""Both sides must take their time and get it right," he added.WATCH | U.S. signals progress made in talks with Iran:U.S. says it's nearing Iran peace deal8 hours ago|Duration 2:47The Trump administration says there's been progress in reaching a peace deal with Iran that could include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but the exact details of an agreement and a timeline remain a mystery.Trump raised expectations of an imminent deal on Saturday when he said Washington and Tehran had "largely negotiated" a memorandum of understanding on a peace agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday that Iran would not take tolls for passage through the vital waterway, but added that it was "normal for services provided to require a price."Before the conflict, the strait had carried a fifth of global shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas.Idemitsu Kosan's crude oil tanker Idemitsu Maru had become the first crude oil tanker bound for Japan to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains under blockade, on Monday. (The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images)The two sides remain at odds on several difficult issues, such as Iran's nuclear ambitions, Israel's war in Lebanon with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia and Tehran's demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks.Iranian sources had told Reuters that in future stages, "feasible formulas" could be found to resolve the dispute over its highly enriched uranium stockpile, including diluting the material under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog.Tenuous ceasefireIran has long denied U.S. and Israeli accusations that it is pursuing nuclear weapons and says it has a right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes, although the purity it has achieved far exceeds that needed for power generation.Trump, whose approval ratings have been hit by the war's impact on U.S. energy prices, and who has faced congressional efforts to curb his war powers, has repeatedly played up the prospect of a deal to end the conflict started by the U.S. and Israel on February 28.AnalysisNetanyahu's future uncertain as Israel starts to prepare for national electionA tenuous ceasefire has held since early April.The president hit back at critics of his handling of the negotiations and his willingness to compromise with Iran."If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one ... So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about," Trump posted on Sunday.WATCH | U.S. struggles to end war after initial 'shock and awe':Why the U.S. 'silver bullet' strategy isn't working against Iran | About ThatMay 12|Duration 11:58More than 10 weeks into the war and without a clear end in sight, U.S. President Donald Trump says the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is on 'massive life support.' Andrew Chang explains why the U.S. strategy to end the conflict — which Trump initially said wouldn't last more than a month — is falling short.