WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said the United States and Iran could reach an agreement within days to extend a ceasefire and reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, offering an optimistic assessment of negotiations even as fighting and diplomatic tensions continued across the Middle East.
In a telephone interview with ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl on June 1, Trump said discussions with Tehran were progressing despite what he described as a temporary setback earlier that day.
“Looking good, looking good,” Trump told Karl when asked about the prospects for an agreement. He said he believed a deal covering an extension of the ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz could be reached “over the next week.”
Trump acknowledged that several unresolved issues remained. He said he had not yet agreed to the proposed arrangement because there were still “a few more points” that needed to be addressed.
Lebanon Fighting Complicates Negotiations
The president said the immediate problem involved fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
According to Trump, Iranian officials had become concerned about Israeli military operations in Lebanon and viewed the renewed fighting as a threat to the broader ceasefire and negotiations with Washington.
Trump said he spoke with Hezbollah and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to stop the escalation.
“So, I spoke with Hezbollah, and I said no shooting, and I talked to Bibi [Benjamin Netanyahu], and said, no shooting, and they both stopped shooting each other,” Trump told ABC News.
His account came as fighting in Lebanon threatened to complicate the broader U.S.-Iran diplomatic process. Reuters reported at the time that an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire was viewed as important to efforts to move forward with U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Iran had earlier indicated that communications with Washington had been halted because of Israeli actions in Lebanon. Trump subsequently said negotiations were continuing at a “rapid pace,” presenting the development as a temporary disruption rather than the collapse of diplomacy.
Trump: Diplomacy Could Be Better Than Victory
Trump also described a negotiated settlement as potentially more significant than a military outcome.
“A peace agreement with Iran could be even better than a military victory,” he said.
At the same time, Trump acknowledged the difficulty of reaching an agreement with Tehran after decades of hostility between the two governments.
“It’s not a simple thing,” he said, describing Iran as a large country with a long history of tensions with the United States.
Trump said the negotiations were difficult for both sides but maintained that Washington was making progress toward its objectives.
“So it’s not an easy thing for them. It’s actually not easy from our standpoint either. But we’re getting what we need to get,” he said.
Strait of Hormuz at the Center
The Strait of Hormuz remained a central issue in the negotiations because of its importance to international energy markets and maritime commerce.
The narrow waterway connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and serves as a major route for oil shipments. Restrictions on shipping through the strait therefore have consequences extending well beyond the region.
At the time of Trump’s comments, the proposed arrangement was expected to include both an extension of the ceasefire and a memorandum of understanding concerning the reopening of the waterway.
Reuters subsequently reported that Washington and Tehran reached a preliminary framework in June that called for ending the war, lifting the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and restoring passage for oil tankers and other maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement, however, left major issues—including the long-term status of Iran’s nuclear program—to further negotiations.
A Fragile Diplomatic Process
The diplomatic effort remained vulnerable to developments elsewhere in the region. Fighting involving Israel, Hezbollah and Iran-linked groups repeatedly complicated attempts to maintain the ceasefire and establish a longer-term settlement.
Later developments showed that the initial diplomatic framework did not immediately produce a permanent resolution. By August, Reuters reported that negotiations had stalled and that Iran was threatening a more confrontational posture if diplomacy failed.
The June interview therefore represented an early moment of optimism rather than a finalized peace agreement.
Trump’s prediction that an arrangement could be reached within a week reflected his assessment at the time, not a binding deadline or guarantee. The continuing negotiations demonstrated the difficulty of converting a temporary ceasefire into a durable settlement.
At the center of the effort was the Strait of Hormuz, where military confrontation, international shipping and diplomacy became closely intertwined. Any lasting agreement would ultimately depend on whether Washington and Tehran could resolve their remaining disputes while preventing renewed regional fighting from undermining the ceasefire.
