2 min readUpdated: May 26, 2026 11:44 AM IST
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a deal with Iran is still possible within days, after Washington carried out “self-defence” strikes targeting missile launch sites and mine-laying boats in southern Iran.
“There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress. I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days,” Rubio told reporters in Jaipur.
“The president expressed his desire to make it. He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal,” he said.
US launches ‘self-defence’ strikes
The US military launched “self-defence” strikes in southern Iran, with a spokesman for US Central Command, Capt. Tim Hawkins, saying that the strikes were aimed at protecting American forces from threats posed by Iranian units.
“The strikes were conducted to defend our troops,” Hawkins said, adding that the military was “using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire”.
The strikes were carried out near Bandar Abbas, close to the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route.
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Trump issues ultimatum on enriched uranium
US President Donald Trump said Iran must hand over its enriched uranium or ensure it is destroyed under supervision, after American forces carried out strikes.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the “nuclear dust” should be dealt with as part of any agreement to end the conflict.
“The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place… with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness,” he wrote in a post on his Truth Social handle.
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