Iran says progress on many issues with US but deal not imminent
Esmaeil Baqaei says charging fees for 'navigational services' through Hormuz
Iran said Monday that Tehran and Washington had reached understandings on many issues in exchanges over a deal for ending the war, but warned an agreement was not imminent.
"It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, during a weekly news briefing.
"But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent -- no one can make such a claim," he said, accusing Washington of "contradictions" and shifting its positions.
The remarks come after Iran said it was finalising a 14-point framework for a deal on ending the war with the United States which broke out on February 28.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal to end the war with Iran could materialise on Monday as US President Donald Trump said his negotiators not to "rush".
During the press conference, Baqaei insisted that the framework being drafted "is focused on ending the war" across the region, including in Lebanon.
He reiterated that details on Iran's nuclear programme -- a key sticking point for Washington -- were not included and that the issue would only be discussed after the two sides agree on the framework.
بقایی درپاسخ به اینکه چرا مقامات ایرانی به توییتها و اظهارات تهدیدآمیز ترامپ واکنشی نشان نمیدهند؟ گفت: ما کارهای مهمتری داریم. اگر بخواهیم به توییتها پاسخ بدهیم به کارهای مهمتر نمیرسیم. هرکجا لازم باشد جواب میدهیم، ما سبک خودمان را داریم. قرار نیست سبک و روش دشمن را کپی… pic.twitter.com/7lRmdPNwIJ
— خبرگزاری ایسنا (@isna_farsi) May 25, 2026
Clauses on ending the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, in place since April 13, and arrangements on the strategic Strait of Hormuz were included, he said.
"US actions under the title of a naval blockade must be stopped, and at the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take the necessary measures for safe transit in the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
Traffic through Hormuz, a vital global shipping route, has come under Iranian control since the outbreak of the war.
Iran, which has only allowed a trickle of ships to pass through the strait, has insisted that vessels obtain permission from its armed forces before transiting the waterway.
Baqaei said Iran was not imposing tolls on ships transiting the strait but rather collecting fees for "navigational services".
"The services that are provided -- navigational services in addition to the measures necessary to protect the environment of the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman -- require the collection of certain fees," he said, adding that Iran was "not seeking to collect tolls".
بقایی: اینکه در بخش زیادی از موضوعات مورد گفتوگو ما به جمعبندی رسیدهایم، امر درستی است، اما اینکه بگوییم این به معنای امضای یک توافق قریبالوقوع است، کسی نمیتواند چنین ادعایی بکند
— خبرگزاری ایسنا (@isna_farsi) May 25, 2026
تغییرات مکرر مواضع مقامات آمریکایی هر گفتگویی را دچار اشکال میکندhttps://t.co/1nmre5opWa pic.twitter.com/OU0ZsfApHj
Iran executes man over links to protests
Iran on Monday executed a man convicted of carrying out armed attacks during the nationwide anti-government protests that peaked in January, the judiciary said.
Abbas Akbari's is the latest in a string of executions by the Islamic republic after it ramped up hangings in security-related cases after the outbreak of war with Israel and the United States on February 28.
"Abbas Akbari... was hanged this morning," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported, describing him as "one of the armed leaders" during protests in the central province of Isfahan.
According to the report, Akbari "opened fire in the street at security forces" and "was one of the armed leaders of the riots in Nain town in Isfahan province" while carrying a handgun.
He was also accused of attacking the governorate building, security establishments and health centres in Nain.
The judiciary said Akbari had been sentenced to death on charges including "moharebeh" -- waging war against God -- as well as deliberate destruction of public property "with the intent of confronting the system, disrupting public order and security, and assembly and collusion against national security".
The Supreme Court upheld the sentence following his appeal, and he was executed on Monday morning, Mizan said.
On Sunday, Iran executed a man convicted of espionage in the first reported execution linked to spying accusations during the war.
Iran carries out the second-highest number of executions in the world after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.