U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press at the US Embassy in Rome on May 8, 2026.
Stefano Rellandini | AFP | Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. is expecting a response on Friday from Iran on the proposal to end the war.
“We should know something today. … We’re expecting a response from them,” Rubio told reporters in Rome on Friday while visiting Pope Leo XIV, when asked about the status of negotiations with Iran.
“We’ll see what the response entails. The hope is it’s something that can put us into a serious process in negotiation.”
Iran said Thursday it is reviewing messages from the U.S. received via Pakistani mediators, but it has yet to reach a conclusion or deliver a reply, according to Iranian state media, citing an Iranian official.
Axios and other news outlets reported earlier this week that the countries were nearing a 14-point memorandum of understanding to put an end to the war and resume talks around Iran’s nuclear program.
Rubio’s comments come amid confusion over whether a ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. is still in effect, as both have opened fire in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the other of initiating attacks.
President Donald Trump on Thursday insisted the ceasefire was still in effect, calling the strikes “just a love tap.” Trump also said the Iranians wanted to “make a deal very much.”
“We’ve seen a report overnight that Iran has established, or trying to establish, some agency that’s going to control traffic in the straits. That would be [a] problem. That would actually be unacceptable,” Rubio said Friday.
The blockade of the narrow waterway, which normally carries around a fifth of global oil supply, has caused a global energy shock. The International Energy Agency has called the situation “the biggest energy security threat in history.”
— CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
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