Reaching an agreement with Iran may take days

US Secretary of State Marco Mayo Rubio said on Tuesday that negotiating an agreement with Iran may “take a few days,” dashing hopes for an imminent end to the war a day after US forces launched attacks that Washington described as defensive in southern Iran.

In comments on the attacks that targeted boats that were trying to lay mines and missile launch sites, Rubio told reporters on board his plane in the Indian city of Jaipur that the Strait of Hormuz must be opened “one way or another.”

Although a ceasefire has been in effect since early April, US Central Command said in a statement yesterday, Monday, that it launched new attacks “to protect our forces from the threats posed by Iranian forces.”

US President Donald Trump said, in a lengthy post on the Truth Social platform yesterday, Monday, that the talks with Iran are going “well,” but he vowed to launch new attacks if they fail, saying, “There will only be a great agreement for everyone, or no agreement at all.”

Iranian and American officials said that the indirect talks had made progress on a memorandum of understanding, or preliminary agreement, that would lead to further negotiations to reach a final agreement.