U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks signal progress

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Washington had made “significant progress” in talks with Iran, after a week of U.S., Israeli and Iranian strikes pushed the region toward a wider war. Iranian and Israeli officials also signaled movement toward a ceasefire framework, but public accounts of the terms differed on some of the most sensitive points. Those points included the future of the Strait of Hormuz, the handling of Iran’s highly enriched uranium and whether the emerging arrangement would also cover the Israel-Hezbollah front. The New York Times reported on May 23 that Iranian and U.S. officials had signaled progress toward a cease-fire agreement while details remained unsettled. The Times of Israel live updates and other regional reports on May 24 showed the same pattern: officials pointing to movement in the talks while continuing to dispute what, exactly, had been agreed. ### What did Rubio actually say on May 24? Marco Rubio said in New Delhi on May 24 that “significant progress” had been made and that more news could come later in the day, according to multiple reports. (abcnews.com) ABC News said Rubio described work with Gulf partners over the previous 48 hours on a possible framework aimed at keeping international waterways open and addressing concerns over Iran’s nuclear program. (timesofisrael.com) Reuters, in a report carried by Channel News Asia and the Jerusalem Post, said Rubio discussed the Middle East, maritime security and energy supplies during talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. The same Reuters report said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed progress toward an agreement and said any deal must end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. (abcnews.com) ### Where are the public disagreements? The Times of Israel reported on May 24 that an Iranian report said the proposed deal would include mutual commitments by the United States, its allies, Iran and Iran-backed groups not to attack one another. The same live updates said a senior Iranian source denied that Tehran had agreed to hand over its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The Times of Israel also reported that one version of the emerging proposal envisioned a 60-day truce, an open Strait of Hormuz and talks on highly enriched uranium. (channelnewsasia.com) But another Israeli official was quoted calling the emerging deal “bad” and saying it showed Tehran it could weaponize the strait. The National separately reported that Iranian officials were saying the Strait of Hormuz would not return to its pre-war status under a possible deal and that Tehran would continue to exercise sovereignty over the waterway “in various ways.” That account underscored the gap between U.S. and Iranian descriptions of what reopening the strait would mean in practice. (timesofisrael.com) ### Why is Israel uneasy about the framework? (timesofisrael.com) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene a limited security cabinet on May 24 to discuss the emerging U.S.-Iran deal, according to the Times of Israel live updates. The same report said Netanyahu had expressed concern to President Donald Trump about postponing nuclear talks and about including a Lebanon truce in the emerging arrangement. Senior Republican senators also criticized the reported terms. (thenationalnews.com) The Times of Israel live updates summarized their view as a “nightmare for Israel,” reflecting concern among Trump allies that a ceasefire could leave unresolved questions over Iran’s nuclear capabilities and regional proxies. ### Are strikes still continuing in Lebanon and Gaza? Israel was still conducting military operations in Lebanon on May 24. (timesofisrael.com) The Times of Israel live updates said the Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation warnings for 10 towns in Lebanon, reported a Hezbollah drone attack that wounded two soldiers and said it had destroyed a 100-meter tunnel containing four rooms for operatives. The National reported that Israel had ramped up strikes despite a so-called ceasefire in Lebanon, reinforcing that diplomacy with Iran had not halted fighting on other fronts. (timesofisrael.com) In Gaza, the Times of Israel live updates reported that three Palestinians, including a one-year-old child, were killed in an Israeli strike, while the Palestine Chronicle said Hamas had accused Israel of violating the Gaza agreement and rejected a proposal associated with Nikolay Mladenov. ### What comes next in the talks? European and regional leaders were already weighing in on May 24. The Times of Israel live updates said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed progress in the U.S.-Iran talks and repeated that Tehran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, while Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Trump and other regional leaders that Turkey was ready to support a potential deal. (thenationalnews.com) May 24 was shaping up as the next immediate test. Rubio said he expected more news that day, and Israeli officials were due to review the emerging terms in Netanyahu’s security consultations as mediators and regional governments pressed for a framework that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and stop the latest round of fighting. (timesofisrael.com)