ROME, Italy: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington expects to receive a response from Iran on Friday regarding a US proposal aimed at ending the conflict.
“We’re expecting a response from them today at some point… I hope it’s a serious offer, I really do,” Rubio told reporters in Rome.
“We’ll see what the response entails. The hope is it’s something that can put us into a serious process in negotiation.”
Rubio also said he had a “very good meeting” with Pope Leo at the Vatican. He said they had discussed areas of joint interest, including religious freedom and the threat posed by Iran, adding: “It’s important to share our points of view and an explanation and an understanding of where we’re coming from. And I thought it was very positive.”
“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,” said Rubio.
He added that President Donald Trump has yet to decide how to respond to some allies denying the US military the use of their bases.
“If one of the main reasons why the US is in NATO is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we could project to other contingencies, and now that’s no longer the case, at least when it comes to some NATO members, that’s a problem, and it has to be examined,” he told reporters.
Earlier, Iran said it is currently reviewing a United States peace proposal aimed at ending the war, even as both sides exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
In a post on his Truth Social platform late Thursday, US President Donald Trump described Iran’s leadership as “lunatics” and warned that Tehran could face more severe military action if it does not quickly agree to a deal.
President Trump posts on TruthSocial: Three World Class American Destroyers just transited, very successfully, out of the Strait of Hormuz, under fire. There was no damage done to the three Destroyers, but great damage done to the Iranian attackers.
They were completely… pic.twitter.com/HzxCey8tHh
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) May 7, 2026
Despite the exchange of fire, neither side has announced the collapse of the ceasefire, which has remained in place since April 8.
According to US media reports, Washington recently sent Iran a 14-point proposal outlining conditions for a potential agreement. The plan reportedly requires Iran to pledge that it will not develop nuclear weapons and to suspend all uranium enrichment for at least 12 years. It would also need to transfer an estimated 440 kilograms (970 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60 percent.
In exchange, the United States would gradually ease sanctions, release billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, and lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The proposal also suggests that both sides—currently in a naval standoff in the Strait of Hormuz—would reopen the strategic waterway within 30 days of signing any agreement.
Iran has not yet issued a formal response to the latest US proposal, although senior Iranian officials have already pushed back against it.
Iranian lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the parliament’s foreign policy and national security committee, said the document appeared to be “more of an American wish-list than a reality.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote in English on social media, “Operation Trust Me Bro failed.”
Operation Trust Me Bro failed. Now back to routine with Operation Fauxios.
— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) May 6, 2026
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said that, “every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the US opts for a military adventure.
“Is it a crude pressure tactic? Or the result of a spoiler once again duping POTUS (President of the United States) into another quagmire?” he asked on X.
Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table, the U.S. opts for a reckless military adventure. Is it a crude pressure tactic? Or the result of a spoiler once again duping POTUS into another quagmire?
Whatever the causes, outcome is the same: Iranians never bow to pressure. pic.twitter.com/ev7dMIebNB
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) May 8, 2026
US President Donald Trump for the second time publicly credited Pakistan’s leadership for persuading Washington to pause “Project Freedom,” a US-led naval operation aimed at escorting stranded commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz amid escalating tensions with Iran.
On Thursday, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the United States had paused “Project Freedom” following requests from Pakistan amid efforts to ease tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Pakistan has been fantastic. And their leaders have been fantastic. The field marshal and the prime minister,” Trump said.
President Trump on why Project Freedom is Paused:
“Pakistan has been fantastic. And their leaders have been fantastic. The field marshal and the prime minister. And they asked us not to do it. We’ll go back to it if we have to.”
— Donald J Trump Posts TruthSocial (@TruthTrumpPost) May 8, 2026
