What They’re Saying About the U.S.–Iran Talks—June 25, 2026
U.S.
President Donald Trump | Speech
“Last week we signed a historic agreement to end the conflict with Iran, fully open the Strait of Hormuz, and accomplish what no President has ever been able to accomplish before. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, that’s done. And thanks to the power and skill of the United States Armed Forces, today Iran has no navy, no air force, no anti-aircraft capacity, no missile launchers, no manufacturing, their leadership has been obliterated, and for the first time in 3,000 years we’re going to finally have peace in the Middle East. … The world is a much safer place. We had to make that little journey to Iran to do what we did. Very soon, you will be at $2.50 a gallon for gasoline, and even lower than that, just like it was before we took the nuclear weapon away from Iran.”
President Donald Trump | Comments to Press
[Question: “Would you block a final Iran deal if it included any kind of fees on shipping?”]
“Yeah, it would be unacceptable, because we have numerous straits, and if you did that for them, you’d have to do it for other people. But you have other straits, I would’nt allow it there either. Yeah, it would be a game changer.”
President Donald Trump | Truth Social
“Wow! The Senate just changed its vote on Iran from 50-48 against, to 50-47 for. Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy changed. Thank you to Leader John Thune, Lindsey Graham, Bernie Moreno, and all. This vote puts Iran on notice!”
Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview
“One of the things we wanted to come out with [from the negotiations with the Iranian regime in Switzerland was a] channel on the Iranian side [to reduce conflict]. Which we did. They were like, ‘OK, fine, we’ll send somebody from the IRGC to go hang out in Doha with somebody from CENTCOM,’ and that’s how we’re going to settle a lot of these disputes.”
Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview
“The first time we ever sat down with [the Iranian negotiators] was in Istanbul, and it almost felt like a performance—they had to get certain things out, they had to attack us for certain things, and it was sort of difficult going. But then it got to a good place where we were able to actually have a conversation. There was a little bit of that element this time, too: ‘We didn’t ask for this, but the Iranian nation is great, et cetera, et cetera. But we’re happy to talk about peace.’”
Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview
“They’re certainly talking differently than they have in the past. There’s a whole host of reasons why that’s true. But whether the action will follow, whether the final deal actually meets some of what they’re promising in general terms—that’s what we have to figure out.”
Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview
“There are many things I don’t like about the comparison to the JCPOA, but one of them is that the MOU is a much more generic document than the JCPOA. It really is a foundational document: let’s open the Strait, let’s stop shooting at each other, and let’s see if we can make a nuclear deal. And from their perspective, it’s, ‘Let’s lift the blockade, let’s stop shooting at each other, and let’s see if there’s a sanctions deal.’ That’s fundamentally where it’s coming from.”
Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview
“The flip side is that [the Iranian regime] really want a fundamentally transformed relationship with the United States and the world—[and] I don’t know where we’re going to be able to land in the middle.”
Vice President JD Vance | Press Interview
“Israel, and every other nation in the region, has the right of self-defence. But we want to make sure everyone has that right of self-defence in [a] background where we’re talking about how to de-escalate.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
“What we’re interested in is not their press conferences—what we’re interested in is whether or not ships are moving. If ships are moving, as they should be moving, then that’s what we’re going to judge and that’s what we’re going to react to. If, on the other hand, this rhetoric is backed up by actual ships being threatened and ships are not moving—that’s a violation of the agreement, and we’re going to have a problem with it. So what we are watching is we see the continued flow of ships in this particular case—that lane is the one that is being used for this evacuation effort that is being led by the International Maritime Organization. And that must continue, and as long as it continues they can have all the press conferences they want. If that stops, then we’re going to have a problem.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
“We will not and won’t be making any decisions or commitments that in any way undermines the prosperity, stability, or security of our Gulf partners.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
[Question: “You used to call them religious theocratic lunatics. Do you believe that language still applies to the leadership today?”]
“Well, look, it’s not that I believe it, it’s the fact of the matter. I mean the Iranian system is led by clerics, radical clerics. That’s what it’s always been led by and that’s what it continues to be led by. That said, we also have to manage the geopolitics of this situation, and if they’ve changed their mindset or if they change their approach to their relations to the United States and their neighbors, then we’re going to give this thing a chance to work. Maybe it’s changed—I’m not saying it has, I’m saying the president wants to explore whether that’s the case. And if it has, we’re going to find out, but we’re not going to find out because of what they say, we’re going to find out because of what they do. We’re going to judge them by their actions and we’ll test that proposition and see. And no one says it’s going to be easy, because I think at the end we know that people that are still at the top levels of that government are people that adhere to the same theology and the same mentality as the people that led it in the past. They’ve got some people in the political branches that seem more flexible and more willing to work with us. Those are the ones we’re negotiating with. We’ll see how it works out.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
[Question: “Are you trying to ease concerns to allies here in the region?”]
“Well that most certainly will come up in conversations, and there are items outside of the MOU that are certainly going to be covered. That’s one that will have to be covered, it will be discussed. I think a careful reading of the MOU we’ll see that when you talk about, for example, a complete end of hostilities in the entire region, well that’s not possible—you can’t have the ends of hostilities and conflict in the region as long as Iranian proxies are launching missiles and drones form Iraq and are participating in terrorism like Hamas did and like Hezbollah did. So I do think it’s covered by the MOU, and it’s an issue that will be gotten to at the appropriate time in these negotiations.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
“We now enter a new phase and one that we hope will lead to peace. It’s what we all desire. It’s what we all desire is for this region to be a place where people are focused on making money, not bombs, not weapons; where they’re focused on improving the economic lives of their people, not on how to attack other countries. This is what we want for the region. Frankly, this is what we want for the world. But we understand there are challenges to that. In that vein and in that context, the United States, with the help of some gathered around this table here today, are going to pursue the opportunity to enter into constructive dialogue and hopefully agreements with Iran, and we hope it leads to a very positive outcome. That is our hope. That is what we are open to. That’s what we are prepared, particularly if Iran makes the decision that instead of being a revolutionary movement that seeks to export its ideology to other countries, they’re now interested in being a nation-state that focuses on the well-being of their own people. If this is what they want for their future, the United States is prepared, alongside with all of you, to work to make that possible despite our differences from the past. If they choose a different route, then, of course, this will not lead to a positive outcome, but let’s be hopeful that it does but also realistic.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
“It’s important to point to a couple things that are a priority to us, for while we want a deal, we don’t want a deal at any price. We want a deal that’s good. We want that’s real. We want a deal that’s and we want a deal that’s adhered to, and it is important that any agreements that are reached both in the process of negotiation and in the aftermath be adhered to and followed. But there are certain things that for us are important to point out now that will never be acceptable. The first is the Straits of Hormuz are international waters. International waterways do not belong to any nation-state. This is a foundational principle in the world today without which the world would be in total chaos. If in fact we accept it, that you can charge money to use an international waterway because it happens to be near your territorial space, well, then this would spread throughout the world like a contagion. If in fact there is now a straits that one country can or two countries can or any countries decide they want to charge money for its use, what is going to stop every country in the world near a waterway from imposing the same? And then we’re going to have chaos. So that is unacceptable. You can call it a toll, you can call it a fee – whatever you want to call it, it’s a game of semantics. The reality of it is that no country on Earth has a right to charge for the use of international waterways, and that will never be an acceptable condition of any deal. The president’s been fundamentally clear about that.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
“The second [U.S. priority in the negotiations] is that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, which is at the core purpose of why this all started in the first place. And so any deal that we enter into has to be one that guarantees that that’s not the case and that puts in place verifiable steps that can be taken.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
“[U]ltimately, you’re not going to have peace and stability in this region as long as there are non-state actors operating within the boundaries and borders of sovereign countries and being funded by Iran.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
“Look, the president has multiple options at his disposal if Iran goes back on their word or Iran decides they don’t want to make a deal. Let’s hope that’s not the case. We don’t want that to be the case. We’re going to give diplomacy every chance to work. We’ve got a good team working on it, and if it doesn’t work out, the president knows what his options are, but I’m not going to discuss what those options are with you. But the president has a lot of options at his disposal.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
[Question: “Have any of the Americans who have been detained in Iran been released? Have you been pushing for their release, including two wrongfully detained Americans?”]
“Yeah, we’re always concerned about wrongfully detained American everywhere in the world. That’s always an issue we’ll raise in every forum that becomes available, but I don’t want to discuss any specific cases that contemplates them. That’s not just true with Iran, that’s true in other parts of the world as well. But just know the issue of wrongfully detained Americans, we have an entire office that is dedicated to that, and we raise it in every forum and in every opportunity we get and we make it our highest priority. And this president by the way has a record of getting Americans released that’s unparalleled to the number of Americans that have gotten released from around the world as a result of the efforts of the SPEHA office, as it’s called, and of course of the president. So we will always prioritize wrongfully detained Americans everywhere in the world.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
[Question: “What about the conventional capabilities that Iran is going to be able to retain? Would you make any assurances about a cap on missile or drone capabilities that Iran will have?”]
“Well we’re going to be completely aligned with our partners in the Gulf. That’s why we’re meeting with all of them tomorrow; that’s why I’ve taken these trips now. It’s the reason why I’m here, apart from thanking them for the incredible support they gave us throughout this process. We want them to know and we want to reiterate and begin to talk to them and and engage them on conversations about every decision that is made with regards to this negotiation. We’re not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies, our longstanding allies in the region. So I think that that’s something that our partners believe when we say because we’re doing it, we’re going to continue to do it, and we’re doing it now.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio | Comments to Press
“What the president has stated is very clear. . . . They want to get in a negotiation, we’ll do a negotiation, if they make commitments at the negotiation, they need to keep them. If they don’t keep them, the president has multiple options at his disposal. That includes sanctions, it includes other things, so I think the president has been clear. If we’re going to get a deal, it has to be a real deal and it has to be a good deal. If Iran wants to make a good and real deal, the United States is open to that. If they’re not, then of course the president has options. We wanted this to work out, we hope it works out, but if it doesn’t, the president knows what his options are, and that’s all I’ll say about it for right now.”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright | Remarks at Conference
“Iran will not have the ability to close the Strait of Hormuz going forward. That’s their key leverage and we’re taking that leverage away from them. . . . If we can get no deal with Iran, we will assure that the flow of energy is there, the world is well supplied and the Iranian administration will be in a world of hurt. . . . We haven’t unfrozen any funds, they haven’t got anything meaningful yet. They could get meaningful things from us, but they have to deliver meaningful wins for us and security for the world.”
Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz | Press Interview
“It’s as Secretary Bessent said—it is a temporary license on the sanctions. The sanctions aren’t being lifted. It is a temporary license while we go through these negotiations. And as the president has repeatedly said, if they don’t live up to their end of the bargain, if they don’t negotiate in good faith, and aren’t prepared to finally give up this obsession with a nuclear program, they [the lifted sanctions] get slapped back on and all options are on the table.”
“Tonight I will vote present on the War Powers resolution. My opinion on the debate over war and executive power has not changed and I have voted that way several times. But since hostilities seem to be over and the President asked me to give consideration to his negotiating position, I will do so. My vote of present is a way to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace.”
“I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns.”
“Cannot overly stress how important last night’s re-vote was. Senate GOP shot down Democrat-led efforts under the War Powers Act to restrict President Trump’s ability to deal with the Iranian threat. This vote sends a clear message to Iran that POTUS is empowered to deal with the conflict as he sees fit with all options on the table. Pray for peace.”
“A very interesting idea by Marc Thiessen and others to take frozen Iranian assets as an offset to some U.S. taxpayer dollars to replenish our depleted stockpile of weapons. I believe most Americans would be okay with taking financial assets from a terrorist regime — that has been wreaking havoc on the planet — and using that money to help replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles that are being used to advance freedom and security. I intend to have an amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill that would do just that. Hopefully, it will garner massive bipartisan support.”
“The House and Senate have now passed legislation that says the Trump-Vance Administration's illegal war with Iran needs to end. If fighting resumes, those votes build a powerful argument that can be used in court: the American people and Congress are against this foolish war.”
Gov. Wes Moore | Press Interview
“Frankly, I think it was the Iranians who actually wrote The Art of the Deal and not Donald Trump, because they have actually gotten everything that they hoped for out of this deal.”
U.S. & GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL
U.S. and GCC Members’ Foreign Ministers | Joint Statement
“The Ministers welcomed the June 17 memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing between the United States and Iran and recognized the important mediation roles played by Pakistan and Qatar. They stressed the need to maintain momentum and unity as negotiations proceed toward a more permanent end to hostilities and the shared objective of preventing Iran from ever developing or otherwise acquiring a nuclear weapon. The Ministers further emphasized that lasting regional peace and security requires addressing the full spectrum of Iran’s threats, including its ballistic missiles, drones, and support of proxies in the region. The Ministers also emphasized the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, noting that free, unconditional, and unrestricted navigation, including the right of transit passage as guaranteed under international law, remains essential to regional and global security. The Ministers rejected any tolls, fees, or attempts to assert control over the Strait and welcomed the Sultanate of Oman and the International Maritime Organization’s announcement on the launch of an evacuation plan for over 11,000 seafarers stranded in the region. The Ministers further emphasized that any trade and investment with Iran is conditional and reversible, contingent on Iran’s compliance with the MOU and the final agreement, cessation of its destabilizing behavior, and creation of the conditions necessary for economic engagement.”
IRAN
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf | X
“America falsely claims our unfrozen assets will buy their agriculture. Interesting. The only crop we're harvesting is what you planted: decades of mistrust. It's organic, abundant, and homegrown. But apparently the US only exports GMO soybeans, broken promises and trash talks.”
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi | X
“After recent Joint Statement in Muscat, had productive call with [Omani Foreign Minister] @badralbusaidi. We re-emphasized that Iran and Oman will conduct dialogue ‘to define future administration and maritime services in Strait of Hormuz.’ We’re determined and will do so in discussion with our neighbors.”
ISRAEL
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Speech
“There are still tasks to be carried out. There is still more to do against Iran. There is still more to do against Hamas.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Speech
“We dominate southern Lebanon from the summit of the Beaufort. And we will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary. We are not going to withdraw from it. The Minister of Defense and I have made it absolutely clear to the IDF: ‘You have complete freedom of action to eliminate any threat to our soldiers or to the residents of the north.’”
“The Iranian regime turned Lebanon into a military stronghold, not to protect Lebanon, but to wage its war against Israel. The Lebanese people deserve sovereignty, peace and prosperity, not Iran’s bargaining chip.”
“The Iranian regime has spent billions building Hezbollah terror bases in Lebanon. Iranian citizens deserve better than paying for Hezbollah’s wars.”
GULF STATES
Anwar Gargash, Senior Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President | X
“New geopolitical facts cannot be imposed on the Arab Gulf states as a result of a treacherous aggression against them. For imposing a fait accompli from the womb of aggression does not establish stability; rather, it sows new seeds of discord and conflict for the future. And this is precisely what applies to the Strait of Hormuz.”
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani | Comments to Press
“After the grave challenges we faced, today we see a glimmer of hope for our region, and welcome diplomatic efforts resulting in an end to hostilities with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran, supported by the mediation of Pakistan and Qatar, and the restoration of free and secure navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. In this regard, we welcome the announcement by Oman of a temporary maritime corridor for vessels wishing to transit through the strait. While this progress is encouraging, it is critically important that Iran fully adheres to its obligations, including under the MOU. Alongside preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and preserving freedom of navigation, lasting regional security requires a definitive end to missile and drone attacks, ceasing support for militias, and halting interference in the sovereignty of our states. It is equally important to ensure that the consequences of those attacks are addressed consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817.”
“Today, a phone call took place in the evening between His Excellency Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi @badralbusaidi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and His Excellency Dr. Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The call addressed following up on the outcomes of the visit by His Excellency Dr. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Islamic Consultative Assembly, to the Sultanate of Oman, and reaching an understanding on the mechanism for joint cooperation toward achieving the desired objectives of the U.S.-Iranian memorandum of understanding with regard to freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The two ministers also discussed the relevant temporary arrangements, in a manner consistent with the rules of international law and respect for the sovereignty of states.”
NATO
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte | Comments to Press
“I really want to make clear how important it is what you [President Trump] are doing on Iran. This is, first of all, about the nuclear capability Iran was basically getting its hands on. And it would have been a threat to the region. It would have been a threat to the whole world. This is a country which is exporting chaos, it is exporting terrorism, and they were very near to getting their hands on nuclear capability. You have seen last week at the G7, all the leaders in the G7 are proud of the fact that [Iran’s] nuclear capability has been degraded. This is extremely important—I just want to make this clear—because sometimes people think why was this whole Iran thing going on. No, this is about security, this is about safety, this is the leader of the free world taking responsibility, beyond the shores of the United States, for the rest of the world, and this is what you get.”
EUROPE
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani | X
“I spoke with the Iranian Foreign Minister @araghchi. Italy has never taken part in any military initiative and has never authorized the use of bases for war actions against Iran, in the strictest respect of the treaties with the United States. I requested a return to full opening of the Strait of Hormuz, facilitating the passage of all Italian cargo ships still blocked. The reopening of the Italian embassy in Tehran is a strong signal of dialogue, also in view of the resumption of economic and cultural relations.”
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