A potential peace plan between the United States and Iran is still in the works as Americans observe Memorial Day Monday.
President Donald Trump stated Sunday that discussions between the two nations are “much more professional and productive.” Over the weekend, the president had indicated a deal was nearly complete and undergoing finalization. Trump later added in his latest post that U.S. negotiators were advised not to “rush into a deal.”
Big picture view:
Few details about the proposal have been publicly disclosed. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when discussing the state of negotiations, assured that the U.S. has secured one of Trump’s primary goals: “a world that no longer has to be in fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon.” Two regional officials confirmed that Iran has agreed to relinquish its stockpile of highly-enriched uranium. One official with direct knowledge of the talks noted that the specifics of how Iran will surrender this material are subject to further negotiations over the next 60 days.
Here are the latest updates:
US launches strikes in southern Iran
7:21 p.m. ET: The United States launched attacks on multiple targets in southern Iran on Monday, striking missile launch sites and Iranian boats, a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command confirmed.
Capt. Tim Hawkins told FOX News Jennifer Griffin that “U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” The strikes occurred after two Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats were observed laying mines and a surface-to-air missile site locked onto American warplanes, the U.S. military informed Griffin. The military clarified that the incident was not intended to break the ceasefire and that the attacks have concluded.
Trump: Nations should join Abraham Accords in Iran deal
4:19 p.m. ET: President Donald Trump expressed his desire for multiple Middle Eastern nations to join the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, an agreement from his first term aimed at normalizing relations between Israel and many of its neighbors, as part of the deal to end the Iran war. In a post, Trump explained that he views a mandatory condition for a peace deal as several nations he consulted during negotiations signing onto the Abraham Accords. He stated that ideally all would join, but acknowledged that “it may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so and that will be accepted.” Trump specifically named Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey as nations that should join, also citing Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as existing members.
Rubio says peace deal still close
3:55 p.m. ET: Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned on Monday against “reading too much” into the delay of a completed peace deal, despite President Donald Trump’s Saturday statement that an agreement was mostly complete and only needed finalization. Speaking to reporters during his trip to India, Rubio reiterated Trump’s stance against rushing into a deal and explained that obtaining a response from Iranian leadership can be time-consuming. “I mean, when you get down on some of these things, you’ve got to hear back, and it takes the Iranians – takes them a little while longer to get back,” he said. “So like I – look, the President’s not going to make a bad deal. He’s just not.” While the specifics of the current peace proposal remain undisclosed, Rubio hinted at its contents, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. He also mentioned “a very real, significant time limit of negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off,” aligning with previous comments from an individual familiar with the talks about a potential 60-day window to negotiate Iran’s surrender of highly enriched uranium. Rubio stated that the Trump administration had hoped for a report Sunday night and might have more information on Monday.
Global shares gain and oil prices fall
7:00 a.m. ET: Global shares mostly rose Monday, and oil prices sank more than $4 after Trump announced progress in talks to end the war with Iran.
Source: Information for this article was taken from The Associated Press and Truth Social. This story was reported from Orlando.
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