US and Iran Have Different Understandings of Peace Deal

President Donald Trump’s suggestion a deal with Tehran has nearly been done is at odds with Iranian officials expressing defiance toward the U.S., amid differing messages from both sides about the prospects of ending the Iran War.

Expectations raised by Trump's comments on Saturday were later managed by a U.S. official Sunday who told Axios that Iran's leadership may need several days to approve a deal to end the war that started February 28 and entered an uneasy ceasefire on April 7.

Markets have reacted positively to the prospect of a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz that Tehran is holding hostage, but on Monday, one Iranian official said Iran would not yield to U.S. pressure and that “time was against” Trump.

Meanwhile, the fate of Iran's nuclear program, a sticking point for Washington, does not appear to have been immediately addressed as both sides gave different interpretations of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end hostilities.

What the US Has Said

Trump said Saturday a deal to end the war had been “largely negotiated,” although the following day a senior U.S. official told Axios no agreement was immediately expected and officials, like Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, may need some time to approve it.

An unnamed senior US official told the outlet that Washington is in a “very good place” but that the parties are still negotiating details and “whether this becomes an agreement is still an open question.”

During a trip to India, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had “a pretty solid thing on the table” and a deal may be reached the same day. Such a deal reportedly involves a 60-day ceasefire extension, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and a plan for further negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

What Iran Has Said

Iranian officials issued defiant messages on Monday without explicitly ruling out the terms of a deal while the matter of its nuclear program appears unresolved.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for Iran's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, posted on X: “Do not believe the bluff of the failed president; time is against the Americans.”

“If they want an agreement, they should negotiate,” he said on Monday, “if they want $6 gas, they should stand firm and bluff until the grass grows under their feet. Iran does not bow to force or threats.”

Citing an Iranian official, Reuters reported that the Supreme Leader had not approved the framework of a deal. Trump has said that stopping Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon was a key goal, and while Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian has said no such bomb would be built, the Supreme Leader has made no recent comment on this.

Differences Over Iran's Nuclear Program

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the focus of negotiations was ending the war, not the nuclear issue.

Trump has reportedly demanded that Iran forgo the enrichment of uranium, the critical material for creating a nuclear bomb, while Iranian officials have opposed new restrictions on the program as a red line.

The U.S. president said on May 21 Iran must export its highly enriched uranium (HEU) as part of any deal, However, Iranian media have reported that no such commitments for this have been made.

Hossein Noushabadi, from Iran's Foreign Ministry, told state news agency ISNA “rumors claiming that Iran has committed to a 20-year suspension of uranium enrichment in the proposed draft for an initial agreement are pure fabrication.” He said the nuclear issue, enrichment and stockpiles of highly enriched uranium will be reviewed in 60-day talks in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, the full release of Iran's blocked assets, and U.S. forces “fully” withdrawing from the area around Iran.

Differences Over the Strait of Hormuz

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Trump has said that any deal includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz but has not specified whether this could include Iran having permanent control over the waterway through which one-fifth of the world's hydrocarbons transits.

The messaging from Iran is that it will continue to have sovereignty over the strait and retain permanent control which could involve charging tolls.

Under the peace deal as reported, the strait would gradually reopen as the U.S. ends the blockade of Iran's ports it launched on April 17 which has limited Tehran’s ability to ship its oil. Trump had said the U.S. naval blockade “will remain in full force and effect” until an agreement is “reached, certified, and signed.”

But Iran could be allowed to sell its oil through sanctions waivers, and sanctions relief would be negotiated during a 60-day period, the Associated Press reported.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Sunday that Tehran thinks it is negotiating from a stronger position than the United States and so is trying to remake the regional order in a way that benefits the Islamic Republic.

“Iran has not publicly accepted meaningful nuclear concessions in the possible MOU,” the think tank said, adding that Tehran “believes that the draft defers nuclear talks until after Iran secures relief from military and economic pressure.”

Iranian officials have also insisted that any deal must end the war on all fronts, including Lebanon where Israel is fighting Tehran-backed Hezbollah. Trump has backed Israel's wish to continue the fight against the group although he has called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has refused to end operations in Lebanon, to ease strikes.

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 5:56 AM.