U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio hinted that some resolution with Iran might be announced later on Saturday.By JNSIt is a “solid 50/50” as to whether an agreeable resolution is reached with Iran or the U.S. military acts to “blow them to kingdom come,” President Donald Trump said on Saturday, according to Axios.“I think one of two things will happen: either I hit them harder than they have ever been hit, or we are going to sign a deal that is good,” the outlet quoted Trump as saying.“Some people would much rather have a deal and others would rather resume the war,” the president was quoted as saying, adding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not worried about a bad outcome.Trump said he would meet with special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner later on Saturday to discuss Tehran’s latest proposal, with Vice President JD Vance slated to join them, the report said.The report added that Trump remains unwilling to compromise on issues such as Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, but that the current draft proposal to end the war defers the subject to more in-depth negotiations after a 30-day period.Earlier on Saturday, U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio hinted that some resolution with Iran might be announced later in the day.“There’s been some progress made [in negotiations], even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done. There is a chance that, whether it is later today, tomorrow, [or] in a couple of days, we may have something to say. But this issue needs to be solved as the president said one way or the other,” Rubio told reporters during his visit to New Delhi.He reiterated Washington’s stance that Iran must never attain a nuclear weapon, must reopen the Strait of Hormuz without tolls, and must agree to hand over its store of highly enriched uranium.These are Trump’s consistent points, Rubio stressed.Trump’s preference is to solve the conflict diplomatically, he continued, which is “what we’re working on right now.”(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});“One way or the other, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio says negotiations with Iran are moving forward and revealed there could be developments “later today, tomorrow, in a couple of days.”Rubio said President Trump prefers to resolve the… pic.twitter.com/XBgfAoxxYF— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 23, 2026The Financial Times reported on Saturday that negotiations include a 60-day extension of the current ceasefire, a gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, easing restrictions on Iranian ports, and a phased unfreezing of sanctions on Iran coupled with Iranian financial assets, with the subject of Tehran’s nuclear project delayed for future discussions.Qalibaf: Iran used ceasefire to rebuild military capabilitesMeanwhile, the Islamic Republic’s top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, was quoted on Saturday by the country’s state media as saying that Iran’s armed forces have used the truce to rebuild their strength, and that if the U.S. “foolishly restarts the war,” the consequences would be “more forceful and bitter” than at the start of the conflict on Feb. 28.Qalibaf had met earlier in the day with Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, a mediator between Washington and Tehran.Munir also reportedly met with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran before taking off to return to Pakistan.The meetings focused on a 14-point document proposed by Iran, in which it stipulates its “legitimate rights,” Qalibaf was quoted by Reuters as saying.Draft to end war on all fronts, including LebanonIran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei reacted to the talks, saying that “We are in the stage of finalizing this memorandum of understanding,” according to Iranian news agency Tasnim.“The issues that are being discussed at this stage are focused on ending the war. The issue of ending the U.S. naval aggression and issues related to the release of blocked Iranian assets will be addressed in this memorandum of understanding,” he said.Although he refrained from clarifying whether an agreement was close, the spokesman said that “the trend is toward closer views” that would set the tone for later discussions on other matters.Baqaei said that the current draft does not tackle the nuclear issue, which served as a “pretext for two aggressive wars against the Iranian nation. At the same time, we were subjected to illegal attacks during the nuclear negotiations. Therefore, we wisely decided to give priority at this stage to the issue that is urgent, which is ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” Tasnim reported.He was further cited as saying that a solution to the Strait of Hormuz issue does not involve the United States and “should be defined between us and Oman as coastal countries. … We are aware of the importance of this waterway for the international community. … [It understands] that the responsible action of Iran and Oman to create a mechanism for the safe passage of ships through this waterway is in the interest of the international community.”The post Trump: ‘Solid 50/50’ to reach ‘good deal’ with Tehran appeared first on World Israel News.