Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on May 26 that a deal with Iran could materialize in “a few days,” a timeline that sounds fast until you remember the US was actively bombing southern Iran the day before.
The statement came as US forces carried out what officials described as self-defense strikes against missile launch sites near the Strait of Hormuz on May 25. That waterway handles roughly 20% of global oil trade.
What’s actually on the table
The negotiations center on a proposed ceasefire lasting 45 to 60 days. That window would serve as a cooling-off period to hash out two much bigger issues: reopening the Strait of Hormuz and placing limits on Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Iran’s foreign ministry acknowledged that some progress has been made in talks, but characterized a full agreement as “not imminent.”
