Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a Cabinet meeting in the White House, Washington D.C., May 27, 2026 (Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty)
EA-Irish Independent Podcast: Will Marco Rubio Benefit from Trump’s Failing War on Iran?
UPDATES: US-Israel Wars, Day 92 — US-Iran Skirmishes As Draft Deal Circulates
UPDATE 0731 GMT:
The Israeli military has issued forced displacement orders to residents of seven towns in southern Lebanon.
Civilians have been warned to move north of the Zahrani River, just south of Sidon, ahead of airstrikes as Israel expands its zone of occupation.
Israel has reportedly struck the towns of Mefdoun, Ansar, Haboush, al-Jumaymah and Sarifa this morning.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Uncertainty persists over a framework deal to end the US war on Iran, even though Donald Trump said he is about to “make a final determination” over the Iranian two-stage proposal.
Trump said he went into the White House Situation Room on Friday for the decision, but he never followed up after a two-hour meeting. A “senior administration official” said there was no outcome. Meanwhile, the deal that Trump described is different from the Iranian terms, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar.
Trump declared that the Strait of Hormuz, controlled by Iran soon after the launch of the US-Israel war on February 28, will be reopened. He said Tehran and Washington will coordinate over destruction of Iranian stocks of enriched uranium.
In fact, the first stage in Iran’s proposal is discussion of arrangements to oversee shipping through the Strait. In return, the US will lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports and gradually remove sanctions, $12 billion of Iranian assets held abroad will be unfrozen, and a 60-day ceasefire will be instituted.
Nuclear issues will only be discussed in a second stage. Iran has proposed “downblending” of its 60% uranium to a lower grade.
A series of Iranian officials knocked back Trump’s portrayal. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that exchanges of messages between Tehran and the Trump Administration continue, but no agreement has been finalized.
He emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to hostile and military vessels, and that the future management of the Strait concerns only its coastal states, particularly Iran and Oman.
Baghaei added, “We have no discussions at this time regarding the details of issues related to enrichment or Iran’s enriched uranium.”
Citing “informed sources”, Iran Revolutionary Guards outlet Fars said Trump’s remarks about a potential framework deal were a “mixture of truth and lies”. A “senior Iranian source” told Reuters that the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington does not include any nuclear-related issues.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran has “no trust in guarantees or words – only actions are the measure”. He thumped his chest:
We seize concessions not through dialogue, but with missiles; in negotiations, we merely make them understand. The winner of any agreement is the one who is better prepared for war from the day after.
A meeting in Washington between US Secretary of state Marco Rubio and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar ended without public comment.
