Donald Trump says Washington is expecting Iran’s response within hours to a broader US nuclear proposal delivered through Pakistani intermediaries, as diplomatic efforts intensify amid growing Middle East tensions.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington expects to receive Iran’s response “tonight” to a major US-backed proposal aimed at easing tensions surrounding Tehran’s nuclear programme and the wider Middle East conflict, placing Pakistan at the centre of a potentially critical diplomatic breakthrough.
Speaking to reporters before departing for an event at his golf club in Sterling, Virginia, Trump confirmed that the proposal had been communicated through Pakistani intermediaries and said the administration was awaiting Tehran’s official reaction.
“We’ll hear from them supposedly tonight,” Trump said when asked whether Iran had formally replied to the offer. He added that it was still unclear whether Tehran was intentionally delaying the process but suggested developments would soon reveal Iran’s true position.
The remarks came shortly after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism that Iran could provide a meaningful response later on Friday that might pave the way for broader negotiations.
Speaking during a media interaction in Rome while visiting Italy and the Vatican, Rubio said Washington remained hopeful despite not yet receiving an official reply from Tehran.
“We should know something today,” Rubio told reporters, adding that internal divisions within Iran’s political system may be slowing the decision-making process.
“Their system is highly fractured and dysfunctional, and that may be creating obstacles,” Rubio said, while noting that the United States still believed diplomacy could eventually lead to substantive negotiations.
Trump also rejected reports describing the American proposal as merely a “one-page offer,” insisting that the initiative was far more comprehensive and contained several key conditions tied to Iran’s nuclear activities.
According to the US president, the proposal demands that Iran permanently abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons and comply with additional conditions sought by Washington, including surrendering nuclear material.
“It’s much more than a one-page offer,” Trump said. “It includes commitments that they will not have nuclear weapons and that they will hand over the nuclear material and other things we want.”
The US president further claimed that Iranian officials had appeared willing to accept certain conditions at different stages but suggested shifting power centres within Tehran were complicating progress.
“They agree, but the next day they act differently,” Trump said. “We are dealing with different sets of leaders.”
The latest comments come amid renewed international concern over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and rising instability across the Middle East. Pakistan’s reported role as an intermediary has also drawn attention, signalling Islamabad’s growing importance in regional diplomacy as Washington and Tehran search for a path away from escalation.
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