US President Donald Trump on Sunday quickly reiterated that the US-Iran peace talks were taking place in an "orderly and constructive manner", a short while after one of his social media posts sparked questions of whether the talks had collapsed.
Reiterating Washington's core argument that Iran could not possess nuclear weapons, he expressed hope for a productive relationship with Tehran, but did not offer a specific deadline for when an agreement would be reached.
"I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side. The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed. Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!" he wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
This comes a short while after he posted an image that had sparked speculations of the US-Iran talks falling through, just hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke of possible "good news" for the peace deal.
The Truth Social post, titled "Adios" (or "farewell" in Spanish), sees an AI-generated image of a US aircraft blasting Iranian vessels to smithereens, with Tehran's flag clearly seen on the ships amid the explosions.
It also shows crew members of the Iranian vessels thrown out into the sea amid the explosions.
Earlier on Sunday, Rubio spoke of progress being made in the peace talks over the last two days. He had been addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi, as a part of his three-day visit to India.
#WATCH | Delhi: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says, "On the Iran situation, there'll be, I believe, maybe more news coming out a little bit later today on this topic, and I'll leave it to the President to make further announcements on it. Suffice it to say that some progress… pic.twitter.com/SYyD3pRyZU
— ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2026
In fact, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has also hinted at the US-Iran peace deal being closer than ever to a resolution, declaring that Tehran was ready to "reassure the international community that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons or regional instability".
Blaming what he called Israel's destabilising effect on the region, he added that Iranian negotiators would not compromise on the dignity and honour of the country, as per a report from semi-official news agency IRNA.
In that regard, a Tasnim report also claimed that a draft understanding under discussion between Iran and the US had proposed that vessel movement through the Strait of Hormuz return to pre-war levels within 30 days.
However, the report had also proposed that the naval blockade around the strait would be fully lifted during that period, which Trump has already opposed in his latest update on the talks.
It also remains to be seen how the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—which exerts a significant influence on Iran's top brass—will react to this, given that lifting the naval blockade was a key part of the 60-day ceasefire extension under the proposed deal.
