Neither war nor peace is worse than war itself
Trump told negotiators to avoid hasty conclusions, stating time favors the US, while maintaining Iranian port blockades until final agreement. Current talks focus on unfreezing Iranian assets and extending negotiations 30 days, with nuclear program issues deferred to future phases.
- Ceasefire between Iran and U.S. began April 8; Lebanon ceasefire began April 17
- Israeli strike in Lebanon killed 11 people, including 6 women and 1 child
- Nuclear negotiations deferred to later phases; current talks focus on asset unfreezing and 30-day extension
- Strait of Hormuz blockade remains central obstacle; Trump maintaining port blockades until final deal
Trump moderates expectations for an imminent Iran deal despite reported negotiation progress, instructing representatives not to rush while maintaining port blockades. Nuclear issues deferred to later talks as regional support builds.
Donald Trump pumped the brakes on Sunday, May 24th, warning against expecting a quick deal with Iran even as both sides claimed progress in talks aimed at ending the three-month-old war consuming the Middle East. Writing on his Truth Social platform, the American president instructed his negotiators to take their time—the advantage, he suggested, belonged to Washington. He also made clear that the blockade choking Iranian ports would remain in place until a final agreement was signed.
State Secretary Marco Rubio had struck a more optimistic note earlier that day in New Delhi, hinting that the world might soon hear encouraging news. But the reality on the ground was messier. A senior White House official told Axios that no deal was expected Sunday; any announcement would take days, requiring sign-off from Iranian authorities all the way up to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Rubio himself acknowledged to the New York Times that nuclear negotiations—the thorniest piece—could not be resolved "in 72 hours on the back of a napkin."
The immediate focus of talks, according to reporting from CBS News and the Wall Street Journal, centered on unfreezing some Iranian assets held in foreign banks and extending negotiations by 30 days. The Strait of Hormuz—nearly shut down by Iran in retaliation for an Israeli-American strike on February 28th that sparked the war—loomed as a central sticking point. Control of that waterway, critical to global oil commerce, had been one of the main obstacles since the ceasefire began on April 8th, brokered by Pakistan. Iran's Tasnim news agency countered that Washington was still blocking progress on several fronts, particularly the question of frozen Iranian assets.
The nuclear question, however, would wait. American officials, Rubio, and Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei all confirmed that atomic weapons concerns would be addressed in later phases of negotiation. Baqaei stated they were finalizing a memorandum of understanding with Washington, but stressed this was not "an agreement on the main issues." The nuclear program, he said, was not part of "this stage." Israel and the United States believe Iran's nuclear program aims at weapons development; Iran insists it is purely civilian. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking after a Saturday night call with Trump, declared that any final deal must eliminate "the nuclear threat," which he defined as dismantling Iran's uranium enrichment facilities and removing enriched material from Iranian territory.
Rubio told reporters that seven or eight regional countries backed the American approach of moving deliberately. The war itself had already exacted a staggering toll—thousands dead, the global economy shaken. Yet the limbo was its own torment. Shahrzad, a 39-year-old Iranian woman reached by phone from Paris, captured the exhaustion: "This state of neither war nor peace is worse than war itself."
On the Lebanese front, the ceasefire that began April 17th was fraying. The Israeli military ordered evacuations from a dozen towns in southern and eastern Lebanon ahead of strikes against Hezbollah positions. An Israeli attack the day before had killed 11 people in the south, including six women and a child, Lebanese authorities reported. Netanyahu's statement to Trump reaffirmed Israel's right to defend itself "on all fronts, including Lebanon." Hezbollah leader Naim Qasem responded with cautious hope, saying that if an Iran-U.S. deal materialized, Lebanon's ceasefire would be part of it. But he rejected any disarmament, calling it equivalent to the group's destruction, and urged Lebanon's government to abandon talks with Israel. The path forward remained fractured, the nuclear question deferred but not resolved, and the region caught between the possibility of peace and the momentum of war.
Citações Notáveis
We will not rush. Nuclear negotiations are very technical matters. You cannot solve a nuclear issue in 72 hours on the back of a napkin.— Marco Rubio, U.S. State Secretary, to The New York Times
If God willing, this agreement will be realized, and there are already signs it will be closed; therefore, we will also be part of this agreement, an agreement for a complete cessation of hostilities.— Naim Qasem, Hezbollah leader
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Trump feel the need to publicly tell his own negotiators to slow down? That seems unusual.
Because there was real pressure building—Rubio had just hinted at a deal, media was reporting imminent breakthroughs, and Trump wanted to reset expectations. He was also signaling to Iran that Washington wouldn't be desperate or rushed into bad terms.
But if both sides say they're making progress, why the caution?
The nuclear issue. That's the real negotiation. What they're discussing now—unfrozen assets, a 30-day extension—that's the easy part. The hard part, the thing that could actually end the war permanently, gets punted to later.
So this ceasefire could collapse?
It could. Right now it's holding because both sides agreed to pause. But if the nuclear talks stall, or if Israel keeps striking in Lebanon, the whole thing unravels. The ceasefire is fragile.
What does Hezbollah want?
A seat at the table. Qasem is saying if Iran and the U.S. make a deal, Lebanon's ceasefire should be part of it. But he's also drawing a line—no disarmament. He won't accept terms that would destroy the group.
And Netanyahu?
Netanyahu wants the nuclear program dismantled. He's not interested in a temporary pause. He wants permanent elimination of Iran's enrichment capacity. That's a much harder ask than what's on the table now.