Confused situation in the Strait of Hormuz. The good news promised by Rubio “in the next few hours”, suddenly postponed by Trump / What we know so far

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sparked high hopes on the situation in the Persian Gulf by announcing on Sunday morning that good news on the Strait of Hormuz was possible “in the coming hours”. Less than 12 hours later, hopes were tempered by President Donald Trump, who told the parties involved in the negotiations there was no need to rush.

“I think it's possible that in the next few hours, the world will get some good news,” Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi early Sunday morning. Rubio cited the progress made in the negotiations with Iran, mediated by Pakistan, in the last 48 hours.

But during this evening, the head of American diplomacy stated that it is not possible to conclude an agreement on the Iranian nuclear program in “72 hours”, writes AFP.

“Negotiations on the nuclear program are highly technical matters. You cannot solve a nuclear problem in 72 hours, on the corner of a table,” said Marco Rubio, still in New Delhi, for the American newspaper New York Times.

In this context, the US Secretary of State called for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, blocked by Iran, “after which we will begin, according to the agreed modalities, very serious negotiations on enriched uranium and on their commitment to never equip themselves with nuclear weapons”, he said.

Rubio mentioned, in this sense, a term of “60 days” and the support of “seven or eight countries in the region for this approach”.

Hopes for a preliminary agreement

According to Axios, the draft memorandum of understanding stipulated that during the 60-day period, Hormuz would be open without tolls, and Iran would agree to remove mines it had placed in the strait to allow ships to pass freely.

In return, as part of the proposed deal, the US would lift the blockade on Iranian ports and grant some sanctions relief to allow Iran to sell oil freely.

The draft agreement also included commitments by Iran never to pursue nuclear weapons and to negotiate the suspension of its uranium enrichment program and the disposal of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The signal given by Rubio was also taken seriously in Europe, where the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the progress in the talks.

“We need an agreement that really de-escalates the conflict, reopens the Strait of Hormuz and guarantees full freedom of navigation without taxes (…) Europe will continue to work with international partners until this moment for a lasting diplomatic solution. And to limit the spread of this conflict, especially on supply chains and energy prices,” said von der Leyen.

Denial from Tehran

The first doubts about the imminence of a preliminary agreement came from Tehran. A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday that Tehran had not agreed to hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The source said Iran's nuclear issue was not part of the preliminary agreement with the United States.

“The nuclear issue will be addressed in the negotiations for a final agreement and is therefore not part of the current agreement. There was no agreement on transporting Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium out of the country,” the source told the international news agency.

The US is not giving up the blockade

The fact that an imminent unblocking of the Strait of Hormuz was even signaled by US President Donald Trump who announced, on Truth Social, that the blockade imposed on Iranian ports will remain in force until an agreement is signed with Tehran to end the war, not being lifted by a preliminary agreement to facilitate future negotiations.

“The embargo will remain in full force until an agreement is concluded, certified and signed,” the US president wrote, adding that “both sides must take their time to get things right. There can be no mistakes.”

“I have asked my representatives not to rush to conclude an agreement, as time is running out in our favor,” Trump said.

After Donald Trump's statements, a senior official in the US administration stated, for Axios, that it is unlikely that the preliminary agreement will be initialed during the day. The source said that at the White House, it would take several days for leaders in Tehran to approve the deal.

“Israel will maintain its freedom of action on all fronts”

In Israel, a senior official told the BBC that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated to Donald Trump that Israel “will maintain its freedom of action against threats on all fronts,” including in Lebanon.

According to the Israeli official quoted by the BBC, the United States is keeping Israel informed about the negotiations for a memorandum of understanding with Iran, which is intended to lead to “the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the start of negotiations for a final agreement on all points in dispute.”

The Israeli official added: “President Trump has made it clear that he will remain steadfast in the negotiations regarding his constant demand for the dismantling of Iran's nuclear program and the removal of all enriched uranium from Iranian soil, and that he will not sign a final agreement without accepting these conditions.”

The Israeli official's comments were echoed by Netanyahu himself on Sunday. He stated that “no final deal with Iran will be possible until the nuclear threat is eliminated.”

What Netanyahu says he agreed with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted on Sunday, reporting on a telephone conversation he had with the US president on Saturday evening, that he agreed with Donald Trump that any final deal with Iran must “completely eliminate the nuclear threat”.

“My policy, like President Trump's, remains unchanged: Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said in a statement.

“President Trump and I agreed that any final deal with Iran must completely eliminate the nuclear threat. That means dismantling Iran's uranium enrichment facilities and removing enriched nuclear material from its soil,” he added.

In recent days, the American press has reported on divergent strategies between Donald Trump and his Israeli ally, the former insisting on a diplomatic solution, while the latter would prefer the resumption of hostilities.