Trump claims Iran deal is two to three days away, says Strait of Hormuz will reopen immediately upon signing

Trump's latest timeline

President Donald Trump told reporters early Tuesday that a deal with Iran could be concluded in "two or three days," describing the negotiations as being in their final phase. Speaking after attending game three of the NBA Finals in New York, Trump called the prospective agreement "very, very good, strong and powerful" and insisted the Strait of Hormuz would reopen immediately upon signing.

We are in the final stages of what will be a very, very good deal.

The president added that the strait "will open up immediately upon signing," contrasting a negotiated outcome with continued bombing, which he said would keep the waterway closed for months and cause many casualties. According to CNN, this was the 37th time Trump has said a deal was near.

What each side wants

Mediators led by Pakistan have been working for weeks to bridge gaps between Washington and Tehran. The US wants Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, believed to remain buried in underground facilities after American airstrikes during the 12-day war in 2025. Iran refuses that demand and insists on sanctions relief, plus the release of frozen assets before any final agreement is signed — a condition Trump has rejected.

Trump's statements so far about a possible deal contradict the points already agreed, showing that [the US] seeks neither a ceasefire nor dialogue.

The Iranian parliament speaker made those remarks on Monday, before Trump's latest comments. Trump himself acknowledged there are no "points of friction" preventing a deal, though the management of the strait, the mechanism for releasing frozen Iranian assets, and Israel's war against Hezbollah remain unresolved.

A fragile truce holds

Israel and Iran suspended military operations on Monday afternoon after the worst escalation since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect in early April. Trump said both sides "agreed, through me, to stop" exchanging fire. The pause followed an Iranian missile barrage against Israel and Israeli strikes on several Iranian cities, launched after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to disregard Trump's request not to retaliate.

If I tell him to do something, he does it.

Trump told the BBC that Israel had fired its missiles before the two leaders spoke, denying any defiance. On Tuesday, however, the Israeli army issued an evacuation order for the Lebanese port city of Tyre, signalling possible strikes on Hezbollah targets. Houthi rebels aligned with Iran also claimed an attack on Israeli territory and announced restrictions on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea.

Regional diplomacy and military movements

Lebanese Army chief General Rodolphe Haykal travelled to Pakistan on Tuesday for talks with Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, a key figure in the Iran-US negotiations. Islamabad has reiterated its commitment to deepening military cooperation with Lebanon amid the deteriorating regional situation. Tehran's main international airport resumed normal operations early Tuesday after a partial airspace closure during the escalation. Israel also reported intercepting a "suspicious aerial threat" from Yemen.

Domestic pressure on Washington

The push for a deal comes as the war weighs on the Trump administration's popularity ahead of midterm elections. Rising oil prices have added urgency, with Trump seeking to show that core military objectives have been met and that a peace agreement is in its final phase. He told reporters the US would declare "total victory" over Tehran.