U.S. is ready to return to 'commitments,' Iran says, after Trump signals deal is near

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) sails behind the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), June 27, 2026. Frank E. Petersen Jr. is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to support maritime security and stability in the Middle East.Courtesy: U.S. NavyIran said the U.S. was ready to "return to commitments," while denying that negotiations were ongoing with Washington, after President Donald Trump signaled a deal was in the making.Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibadadi made those comments in an interview with state broadcaster IRNA on Wednesday, without elaborating on the said commitments, likely referring to the interim understanding reached last month. Under the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 between the U.S. and Iran, Tehran was supposed to allow commercial vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz with no charge for 60 days. In return, Washington had committed to lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ships, among other things. Trump had accused the Islamic republic's leaders on Monday stateside of being "duplicitous" about peace talks, saying they were underway "whether Iran wants t...