US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is currently on an official visit to India, said on Sunday that important developments regarding Iran could emerge later in the day and hinted that there may soon be “good news” concerning the conflict-hit Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio made the remarks while addressing a joint press conference alongside India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi. During the briefing, he indicated that negotiations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz and the broader Iran conflict had made noticeable progress in recent days.
“Some progress has been made in the past 48 hours on an outline that could resolve the Strait of Hormuz situation,” Rubio said while speaking to reporters.
His comments came only hours after US President Donald Trump announced that Washington and Tehran were moving closer toward finalising a major agreement intended to end the ongoing Iran conflict and reopen the strategically vital shipping route.
In a statement shared on Truth Social, Trump claimed that negotiations between the United States and Iran were approaching a breakthrough stage. He said the proposed agreement would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial maritime corridor through which a significant portion of the world’s oil and gas supplies normally pass.
The closure and disruption of the Strait following the outbreak of conflict between Iran, the United States, and Israel earlier this year triggered major instability in global energy markets and contributed to a wider international energy crisis.
Trump, however, did not reveal the full details of the proposed arrangement. “Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” he wrote in his Truth Social post.
Soon after Trump’s announcement, a report published by The New York Times claimed that Iran had agreed to surrender its stockpile of highly enriched uranium as part of the broader peace agreement currently under negotiation with Washington.
According to the newspaper, two unnamed US officials stated that Tehran had agreed “in principle” to relinquish its stockpile of uranium enriched to levels close to weapons-grade material.
The report suggested that the future handling of Iran’s enriched uranium reserves would become a central focus of negotiations over the next 30 to 60 days. American officials have long insisted that Tehran must either transfer, dilute, or neutralise its uranium stockpile as part of any lasting nuclear agreement.
However, shortly after the report was published, a senior Iranian figure appeared to publicly challenge one of its key claims.
Speaking anonymously to Reuters, the Iranian source stated that Tehran had not agreed to hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The official also suggested that Iran’s nuclear programme was not currently part of the preliminary agreement being discussed with Washington.
“The nuclear issue will be addressed in negotiations for a final agreement and is therefore not part of the current deal,” the Iranian source reportedly said.
“There has been no agreement over Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpile to be shipped out of the country,” the official added, directly contradicting the claims made in The New York Times report.
The differing statements highlight the continuing uncertainty and sensitivity surrounding negotiations between the two countries, particularly regarding Iran’s nuclear programme and the future of its uranium reserves.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran currently possesses nearly 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity. Experts consider this level extremely close to weapons-grade material, which is generally enriched to around 90 per cent.
Western governments and Israeli officials have repeatedly expressed concern that such material could potentially be further refined and used in the development of nuclear weapons if Iran chose to pursue that path.
The question of what happens to Iran’s uranium stockpile has therefore become one of the most difficult and politically sensitive issues in ongoing negotiations between Tehran and Washington.
The latest comments from Rubio and Trump suggest that diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and stabilise the region may be entering a decisive phase. However, the conflicting reports emerging from American and Iranian sources also indicate that major disagreements still remain unresolved, particularly regarding nuclear issues and long-term restrictions on Iran’s enrichment activities.
The outcome of the negotiations is being closely watched internationally because any agreement involving the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear programme could have major implications for regional security, global oil markets, and broader geopolitical stability across West Asia.
