30 days is the number being floated to restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz under a draft memorandum of understanding, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 24 May 2026 after talks in New Delhi. Rubio told reporters the negotiations had produced "significant progress" but were not finished, and he echoed President Donald Trump’s comment from 23 May that a deal was "largely negotiated." Iranian semiofficial Tasnim News Agency described a package that would reopen the strait to pre-war vessel levels within 30 days, lift a US naval blockade in the same window and set nuclear discussions on a 60-day track after signing. Rubio said further announcements might follow within hours, suggesting an imminent diplomatic step if the draft framework is finalised.
Marco Rubio framed the emerging agreement as the start of a process that could address the central security concerns raised since the war began on February 28. Speaking in New Delhi on his first official visit to India, Rubio described progress as real but incomplete. "Some progress has been made, significant progress, although not final progress has been made," he said, adding that "perhaps there's the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news."
Rubio’s comments came a day after President Donald Trump posted that a memorandum of understanding to halt fighting had been "largely negotiated." Both men signalled that the draft framework addresses one of the most urgent operational issues of the war: reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint for a large share of global oil and shipping traffic that Iran has largely blocked since hostilities began.
The secretary of state described the deal as the first step toward the administration’s stated objective "and that's a world that no longer has to fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon." Rubio and other US officials have declined to declare talks complete, making clear gaps remain even as public statements ratchet up expectations of a near-term outcome.
The draft framework and the timeline
Iranian semiofficial Tasnim News Agency outlined key elements of the draft it has reported. Tasnim said the memorandum would restore vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to pre-war levels within 30 days and require the United States to lift a naval blockade of Iranian ports within the same 30-day period. The agency added the deal would include a phased release of some frozen Iranian funds and an end to war "on all fronts, including Lebanon."
Tasnim also said detailed negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme would continue for a 60-day period after signing, with the possibility of extending that second phase by mutual agreement. That two-stage sequencing would, in Tehran’s telling, allow immediate easing of the maritime crisis while leaving complex nuclear questions to a dedicated negotiating window.
Independent reporting has tracked similar contours. Reuters reported that Iran and Pakistan submitted a revised proposal to the United States to end the war and reopen the strait, citing two Pakistani sources familiar with the talks.
That account aligns with the timetables publicised by Iranian outlets and with comments from regional mediators.
Pakistan has been an active intermediary. The country’s military described a visit by army chief Asim Munir to Tehran as "highly productive," saying Munir held high-level talks with Iranian leaders including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The visits followed a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8 and a series of meetings in Islamabad and Tehran in April and May that helped intensify negotiations.
Iranian officials have signalled both willingness and caution. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told state media that Tehran was finalising a 14-point memorandum of understanding and expected the main points to be discussed and settled within a "reasonable period of 30 to 60 days." At the same time, Parliament Speaker and Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told General Munir that Iran viewed the United States as an unreliable negotiating partner and said Iran would defend its "legitimate rights" on the battlefield and through diplomacy.
The mix of public optimism and private mistrust captures the central diplomatic tension. Multiple intermediaries and parallel channels have narrowed some differences, but Iranian officials’ insistence on conditional measures, including at least partial release of frozen funds in an initial phase, shows sticking points remain. US statements emphasise avoiding further escalation while seeking concrete steps that reduce immediate risks to global shipping and regional stability.
For now, the draft framework the parties and intermediaries have discussed would split the problem into an immediate operational phase and a longer technical phase. The immediate phase would aim to stabilise the strait and lift blockades, while the second would tackle nuclear issues on a 60-day timetable that negotiators could extend by agreement.
Rubio’s timing comment raised expectations of an announcement within hours of his New Delhi briefing. But the presence of competing accounts and clear notes of caution from Iranian political leaders means any final text will need to survive rigorous translation from draft to signed memorandum.
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Rubio said further announcements could come within hours, while Iranian officials have published a working timetable that would put maritime measures in place within 30 days and set nuclear discussions on a 60-day track after any memorandum is signed.
This article was created with AI assistance.
