Iran told reporters Monday that no agreement to end its three-month war with the United States is imminent, hours after President Trump told his negotiators "not to rush into a deal" and senior Republicans panned the emerging 60-day framework as a giveaway to Tehran. The dueling signals reversed the optimism of Sunday's edition, when Trump said the deal was "largely negotiated" and Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in New Delhi that an agreement could be finalized "today."

The shift hardens the war's 87th day into the same waiting posture that has defined the conflict since the U.S. and Israeli strikes of Feb. 28. A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in force. Tehran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of global energy supplies transit, still chokes shipping. And a Republican revolt over the terms now under discussion threatens Trump's political room to close any agreement at all.

What Tehran said

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran that the two sides had "reached conclusions on many issues under discussion, but no one can claim that this means an imminent agreement is about to be signed," according to comments carried by the Student News Network. Baghaei said the focus of talks is "on ending the war" and that the nuclear file is not yet on the table. He added there are "no guarantees" the United States will honor any commitments and said Tehran does not care about "threats."

Iran's top negotiators, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Doha on Monday, according to a diplomat briefed on the visit who spoke to NBC News. Qatar and Pakistan have taken on lead mediator roles in recent days. Pakistan's military chief, Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were in Beijing on Monday for talks with Chinese officials, who have pledged to support "the early restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East."

The framework

Under the draft, regional and U.S. officials told The Associated Press, Iran would commit in principle to disposing of its 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity — a short, technical step from weapons-grade — and to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The United States would gradually lift its naval blockade and allow Iran to sell oil through sanctions waivers. Details on the uranium, sanctions relief and Iran's frozen assets would be negotiated during a 60-day window. Russia has offered to take some of the stockpile; the rest would likely be diluted.

A senior administration official told Reuters that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had endorsed the "broad template" of the deal. There was no confirmation from Tehran. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told state television Iran is ready "to assure the world that we are not after a nuclear weapon," while Iran has not publicly agreed to surrender the stockpile itself.

The Republican revolt

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas wrote Saturday on X that an outcome leaving the Iranian government with billions of dollars, enrichment capacity and influence over the Strait of Hormuz would be "a disastrous mistake." Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina dismissed any deal that leaves Iran a dominant regional force. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, called the proposed 60-day ceasefire a "disaster" and said "Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!"

Former Trump Cabinet officials joined the pile-on. Mike Pompeo, secretary of state in Trump's first term, said the emerging terms looked indistinguishable from the 2015 Obama-era nuclear agreement Trump withdrew from. John Bolton, a former national security adviser, wrote that "the ayatollahs will have won a significant victory." Trump fired back on Truth Social, dismissing "losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about" and earlier Monday attacking "Dumocrats, RINOS, and Fools who know nothing about the potential deal."

On the markets

Oil prices fell more than $5 to two-week lows Monday on continued, if narrower, optimism about a settlement. Average U.S. gasoline dipped to $4.51 a gallon. The war has cost U.S. taxpayers at least $29 billion as of this month and killed 13 service members, according to figures cited by the AP. Polls show the conflict remains unpopular at home.

The counterpoint

Not all Republicans oppose the framework. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky wrote on X that "War virtually always ends with negotiations" and urged critics to give the White House space. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who lost his primary last week, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that "if Lindsey Graham and Ted Cuz are crashing out last night, I'd say it's probably a pretty good deal." David Petraeus, the former CIA director, told CNBC at the UBS Asian Investment Conference that Iran appears to be in the process of "blinking" over the strait, though he warned Tehran retains the ability to mine the waterway or strike commercial shipping with drones and fast boats.

Rubio said Monday in New Delhi that a deal could be reached "today" but cautioned that if talks fail, Washington would find "another way." If the framework holds, the 60-day clock would push the next deadline into late July or early August — deep into the midterm campaign for Republicans already watching the war drag down the party's poll numbers.