Iran warned on May 25 that, while some progress had been made, it was not yet close to striking a deal with the United States to end the Middle East war, after a weekend of mixed messages from Washington and Tehran.
World oil prices tumbled on renewed optimism about an agreement, after top U.S. diplomat Marco Rubio suggested a deal could be reached within the day, but Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman responded, “No one can make such a claim.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government is spearheading efforts to mediate a negotiated agreement between the United States and Iran, met China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
U.S. and Iranian forces have observed a ceasefire since April 8 while diplomats push for a negotiated settlement, although Iran has maintained controls on Gulf shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. Navy has sought to blockade Iran’s ports.
“We thought we might have some news last night, maybe today,” U.S. Secretary of State Rubio told reporters during a visit to New Delhi, referring to hopes for a deal.
“We have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the straits, get the straits open,” he said.
“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,” he said.
But in Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei poured cold water on hopes for a quick final settlement.
“It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion,” he told a weekly news briefing.
Baqaei stressed that Iran would continue to manage maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz by charging service fees, arguing that this did not amount to Tehran “seeking to collect tolls”.
“The services that are provided, navigational services in addition to the measures necessary to protect the environment of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, require the collection of certain fees,” he said.
Earlier, President Donald Trump had said that he had told his negotiators “not to rush into a deal, in that time is on our side,” and warned that the U.S. naval blockade would remain in place until a deal was reached.
A post on Trump’s Truth Social read: “If I make a deal with Iran, it will be a good and proper one,” adding that: “It isn’t even fully negotiated yet.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he and Trump had agreed that “any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear threat entirely.”
Meanwhile, a high-level Iranian delegation, including Tehran's top negotiator and central bank chief, was in Doha on May 25 to discuss an agreement with the U.S. and the release of frozen funds.
This marked the first senior Iranian visit to the region since the start of the Middle East war, which saw Tehran launch thousands of drones and missiles across the Gulf, including at Qatar.
It also signalled Qatar's growing role in the talks, so far dominated by mediator Pakistan.
"Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Doha earlier today for talks on ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict," a source briefed on the matter told AFP, requesting anonymity.
The visit will focus, the source added, "on issues relating to the Strait [of Hormuz} and highly enriched uranium. The Central Bank governor is part of the delegation to discuss the issue of frozen funds, which is addressed in the MoU as part of an eventual final deal."
Iranian media including Tasnim and Fars news agencies also said the delegation included Araghchi and Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati.
Iran's official news agency IRNA said the visit was "part of the diplomatic process" and that the delegation would meet with Qatari Premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
The trip was intended to assess whether Washington was serious before Iran accepts a truce deal, IRNA said.
"It appears that some American commitments under this agreement will be implemented with Doha's assistance," it said.
The visit was also meant to "ascertain Qatar's readiness to provide support" with regard to U.S. pledges, it added.
In 2023, $6 billion of frozen Iranian funds from South Korean banks were parked in Qatar pending the release of five American citizens held by Iran.
The funds were never released as ties soured between Washington and Tehran after Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.
According to Fars, Washington agreed to release part of Tehran's funds frozen abroad under international sanctions and to end its naval blockade of ships travelling to and from Iranian ports in exchange for ending the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Pakistan has so far been a main mediator in talks aimed at ending the war and fully reopening the vital waterway.
But in recent weeks, Qatar, which has mediated between Iran and the United States in the past, appears to have taken on a larger role.
Earlier this month, Sheikh Mohammed held meetings with top U.S. diplomat Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in the United States to push for diplomacy.
Qatar, a key Gaza mediator traditionally close to both the U.S. and Iran, was itself drawn into the previous round of conflict.
On June 23, Iran targeted al-Udeid base in Qatar, the biggest U.S. installation in the Middle East, in retaliation for U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities.
