{"id":210230,"date":"2026-05-09T12:34:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T12:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-awaiting-response-from-iran-over-proposals-for-ceasefire-deal-says-rubio-the-guardian\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T12:34:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T12:34:48","slug":"us-awaiting-response-from-iran-over-proposals-for-ceasefire-deal-says-rubio-the-guardian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/us-awaiting-response-from-iran-over-proposals-for-ceasefire-deal-says-rubio-the-guardian\/","title":{"rendered":"US awaiting response from Iran over proposals for ceasefire deal, says Rubio – The Guardian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diplomatic efforts continue despite fighting in and around contested strait of Hormuz in recent days
Middle East crisis \u2013 live updates<\/a>
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio<\/a>, has said that Washington is expecting a response from Iran to its proposals for an interim deal to end the conflict in the Middle East, as Iran accused the US of breaching the increasingly fragile ceasefire announced last month.
In recent days there have been the biggest flare-ups in fighting in and around the contested strait of Hormuz since the informal truce began. The rise in violence followed Donald Trump\u2019s announcement \u2013 then rapid pause \u2013 of a new naval mission aimed at opening the strategic waterway.
On Friday US forces fired on and disabled two Iranian-flagged tankers that attempted to violate the American blockade of Iran\u2019s ports, the US military said<\/a>.
Despite the clashes diplomatic efforts continue, with the mediators Pakistan<\/a> passing a brief memorandum to Iran that the US has said could act as a basis for a more solid ceasefire and allow new talks.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday evening, Trump said he expected a response from Iran<\/a> soon. \u201cI\u2019m getting a letter supposedly tonight,\u201d he said. Asked whether Iran was intentionally slow-rolling the negotiation process, he replied: \u201cWe\u2019ll find out soon enough.\u201d
During a visit to Rome, Rubio said: \u201cWe\u2019re expecting a response from them today at some point \u2026 I hope it\u2019s a serious offer, I really do \u2026 The hope is it\u2019s something that can put us into a serious process of negotiation.\u201d
There have been wild swings from hope to despair<\/a> in recent days, as the US and Iran test each other\u2019s resilience and will, seeking leverage in any talks through belligerent rhetoric, defiance and sporadic violence.
Abbas Araghchi, Iran\u2019s foreign minister, accused the US of breaking the ceasefire, posting on X on Friday: \u201cEvery time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure.\u201d
Araghchi also boasted that Iran\u2019s ballistic missile stocks and launcher capacity had not only been repaired and restocked during the pause in hostilities, but expanded.
Control of the strait and the threat to restart attacks on nearby countries\u2019 oil and other infrastructure in the Gulf are the two main cards Iran can play in negotiations. The US has blockaded Iran, stopping all Iran-linked shipping trying to leave the Gulf, to put pressure on Tehran.
The elimination of Iran\u2019s missile armoury and production facilities were repeatedly stated as a key objective by US officials<\/a> early in the war. Their restriction is also likely to be a demand during any negotiations.
An Iranian official said on Friday that US attacks overnight in and near the strait of Hormuz struck an Iranian cargo vessel, wounding 10 sailors, with five others missing. It was not immediately clear whether the vessel was directly targeted.
US Central Command said Iranian forces had launched missiles, drones and small boats at three US warships overnight but that none were hit, while US forces destroyed the incoming threat and retaliated against land bases in Iran.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates said it had responded to another Iranian missile barrage on Friday. The UAE\u2019s defence ministry said three people were wounded after air defences engaged two ballistic missiles and three drones launched by Iran. It was not clear if all were successfully intercepted. The authorities told people to stay away from any fallen debris.
Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and drones at the UAE during the war, frequently hitting civilian infrastructure, including oil facilities and luxury hotels<\/a>.
Trump said on Thursday that the ceasefire was holding, but hopes earlier this week that an \u201cinterim\u201d deal between Tehran and Washington might be agreed before the US president travelled to China next week now look premature.
Earlier on Friday, the US treasury announced sanctions against individuals and companies it accused of helping the Iranian war effort, including in China and Hong Kong. The fresh sanctions come just days before Trump is set to arrive in Beijing.
The US president minimised the clashes, dismissing strikes on Thursday as \u201cjust a love tap\u201d \u2013 but has repeated threats to launch a major new offensive against Iran unless there was agreement soon.
The US proposal is believed to offer a formal ceasefire for at least 60 days that would lead to talks to resolve contentious issues such as Iran\u2019s nuclear programme. \u201cThey have to understand: if it doesn\u2019t get signed, they\u2019re going to have a lot of pain,\u201d Trump told reporters in Washington.
Despite many observers\u2019 scepticism, the possibility of even a partial agreement that could lead to the reopening of the strait of Hormuz sent global stocks to near-record highs on Thursday as oil prices dropped steeply. On Friday, the price of a barrel of Brent crude headed upwards once more.
In normal times the strait carries a fifth of the world\u2019s supplies of oil and fossil gas. Its closure in the first days of the war has already forced a steep rise in fuel prices around the world and threatens a global recession.
Pakistani officials have expressed optimism in recent days about a potential deal. Islamabad hosted a round of abortive face-to-face talks last month.
On Monday, the US military said it had destroyed six Iranian small boats, as well as cruise missiles and drones, after Trump sent warships to guide stranded tankers through the waterway.
Two ships of the many hundred that are stranded are believed to have crossed through the strait under the protection of the US navy, but the effort \u2013 called Project Freedom \u2013 was shelved after about 48 hours, possibly as a result of complaints from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Trump claimed he had paused it to allow negotiations a better chance of success.
In Washington on Friday, Qatar\u2019s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, met JD Vance to discuss the Pakistani-led mediation efforts to bring the conflict to an end. During the meeting, al-Thani \u201cstressed the need for all parties to engage with the ongoing mediation efforts, to pave the way for addressing the root causes of the crisis through peaceful means and dialogue, leading to a comprehensive agreement that achieves lasting peace in the region\u201d, the Qatari foreign ministry said on X.
Analysts say Iranian leaders are divided over whether to engage in new talks with the US or hold out, despite the massive and continuing economic losses caused by the war and the US blockade.
Senior Iranian officials have publicly rejected concessions in recent days. Some appear to favour dragging out the negotiations closer to the November midterm elections in the US, when the Trump administration<\/a> will be under intense pressure to settle the war and Iran may get a better deal.
However, regional diplomats believe Iran could overplay its hand, with there being an opportunity to finish the war and claim a victory at the present \u2013 something that could be harder if all-out fighting resumes. If there was no agreement, Washington could also unilaterally end the war and walk away, leaving Iran under suffocating economic sanctions, they said.
Any agreement between the US and Iran could also help lower tensions in Lebanon<\/a>, where a separate truce was threatened by an Israeli strike on southern Beirut that killed a commander from Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Islamist militant movement, on Wednesday. The US announced on Friday that it would mediate two days of \u201cintensive talks\u201d between Israel and Lebanon next week.
A new Israeli strike on Friday killed four people, including two women, in the southern Lebanon town of Toura, the health ministry said. Air raid sirens sounded in several cities in northern Israel<\/a> after shelling from Lebanon, according to the Israeli military.<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diplomatic efforts continue despite fighting in and around contested strait of Hormuz in recent daysMiddle East crisis \u2013 live updatesThe US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said that Washington is expecting a response from Iran to its proposals for an interim deal to end the conflict in the Middle East, as Iran accused the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":210231,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-210230","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-us","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}