Iran and US officials signal progress as ceasefire hangs in balance

JERUSALEM -- Iranian and U.S. officials said there was progress Saturday in last-ditch diplomatic efforts to stave off a return to full-scale war, as a monthlong ceasefire between the two sides hung in the balance.

Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said Washington and Tehran were in the “final stage” of drafting what he called a “memorandum of understanding,” a framework that he said would most likely push discussion of Iran’s nuclear program, a sticking point in negotiations, to a later stage.

“The positions of the two sides are becoming closer,” Baghaei said in comments carried by Iranian state media. “We may be able to reach a mutually acceptable solution.”

There was no immediate comment from the White House. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio signaled Saturday that the two sides could be moving closer to an agreement, even as he left open the option of renewed military action. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume strikes on Iran in recent days.

“There’s been some progress done,” said Rubio, who is on an official visit to India, adding that there could “be news later today.”

“Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done,” he said.

A senior official from a regional country involved in the mediation efforts, and with direct knowledge of the talks, said Saturday that the United States and Iran appeared close to a deal.

But the signals of progress were accompanied by threats from Iran. Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker, said that Iran’s military had been rebuilt during the ceasefire, according to Iranian state media. He added, “If Trump acts foolishly and the war resumes, the response against the United States will certainly be more crushing and bitter than on the first day of the war.”

Qalibaf reportedly made the comments during a meeting with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who left Tehran on Saturday after meeting with Iranian officials. Munir has played a central role in mediation efforts, and his overnight visit was seen as an intensification in shuttle diplomacy.

On Saturday, Trump also spoke with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, to discuss “regional and international efforts to stabilize the ceasefire,” according to a statement by the emir’s office. A Qatari delegation had joined Pakistani mediators in Iran, two diplomats with knowledge of the mediation efforts said Friday.

The United States, Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in early April after more than a month of war. The truce was intended to allow for talks on Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for oil and gas shipping that Iran has effectively closed since the early days of the war, causing energy prices to soar worldwide.

After about six weeks of on-and-off negotiations, however, the United States and Iran appear to still be far apart on several key issues.

This past week, Trump said he had pulled back from a “very major attack” against Iran in order to give way for diplomacy. Military analysts are skeptical that further aerial attacks would force Iran to compromise.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of “excessive demands” in a call with António Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general. Trump recently denounced one Iranian counterproposal as “totally unacceptable.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 9:44 AM.