'Work in progress': Rubio says 'solid' Iran deal may arrive on Monday after Trump hails 'constructive' talks
It comes after the US President stressed again that Tehran "must understand" it cannot develop a nuclear weapon
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said a 'solid' Iran deal could arrive on Monday after Trump praised 'constructive' talks in social media posts.
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Speaking on Monday from the Indian capital, Delhi, during his official visit, Mr Rubio insisted Iranian negotiators had have "a pretty solid thing on the table"
The US politician had previously noted that “significant progress, although not final progress, has been made”.
It comes despite Trump's earlier claims that a US-Iran deal had been "largely negotiated" on Saturday morning, US media is reporting no paperwork will be signed between the two nations today.
Reports now suggest a deal is not "fully negotiated yet", with Trump writing on Truth Social that "both sides must take their time and get it right".
Mr Trump once again emphasised that Tehran "must understand" it cannot develop a nuclear weapon.
"We're still a work in progress," Rubio said on Monday.
"As I said, you know, we thought we might have some news last night. Maybe today," Rubio said on Monday in the Indian capital, Delhi.
"So we have, what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the Straits," he said referring to the Strait of Hormuz - the crucial waterway where 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes and which Iran has been blocking."
On Monday, the US President went on to address an emerging Republican split over the reported content of the deal, claiming "nobody has seen" the final deal.
"I don't make bad deals," he added.
According to US media, the deal under discussion involves a 60-day ceasefire extension, negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, and the much-anticipated reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said “negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner” - but noted the US blockade on Iranian ports will remain until an agreement is signed.
Republicans had been weighing in over the speculated terms over the weekend, with Senator Ted Cruz calling it "a disastrous mistake".
Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also criticised the content, saying a 60-day ceasefire would mean "everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!", but Rep. Mike Lawler of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said the administration had managed to reach what he called "a real negotiation".
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also weighed in, saying “significant progress, although not final progress, has been made”.
Trump's social posts came just hours after Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency accused the US of "obstruction", saying that an agreement could still be "cancelled".
Around lunchtime on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared his nation were ready to reassure the world that the country does not want a nuclear weapon.
The US and Israel have described the document as a "memorandum of understanding" - with suggestions it is an initial agreement to allow for further talks on some aspects.
Elsewhere, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has urged the Lebanese government to abandon direct talks with Israel, saying disarming was "unacceptable", according to their military wing.
The news comes in month three of the war, after the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February.
The move sparked conflict across the Middle East, with Iran responding by launching attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf.