Trump says US expects Iran’s response ‘tonight’ on nuclear proposal via Pakistan

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington expects to receive Iran’s response “tonight” regarding a US-backed proposal aimed at resolving tensions over Tehran’s nuclear programme and the wider conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking to reporters before departing for an event at his golf club in Sterling, Trump said the administration was still waiting for Tehran’s official reaction to the offer conveyed through Pakistani intermediaries.

“We’ll hear from them supposedly tonight,” Trump said when asked if Iran had formally replied to the proposal. Asked whether Tehran was deliberately slowing the process, he responded that it remained unclear but added that the situation would become evident soon.

REPORTER: Do you think Iran is intentionally slow rolling the process?@POTUS: "We'll find out soon enough." pic.twitter.com/j1y0L7cijS

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 8, 2026

The remarks came shortly after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington hoped to receive a meaningful response from Iran later on Friday. Speaking during a media interaction in Rome, Rubio said the US was optimistic that Tehran’s reply could open the door to serious negotiations.

“We should know something today,” Rubio told reporters while on an official visit to Italy and the Vatican.

Rubio noted that no formal response had yet been received and suggested that divisions within Iran’s political structure may be slowing decision-making.

“Their system is highly fractured and dysfunctional, and that may be creating obstacles,” he said, while expressing hope that discussions could eventually move towards a substantive negotiation process.

Trump had earlier dismissed reports describing the US proposal as a simple “one-page offer”, insisting the initiative was far more extensive and included several demands tied to Iran’s nuclear activities.

According to the US president, the proposal required Iran to permanently abandon any pursuit of nuclear weapons and comply with several conditions sought by Washington.

“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.”

When questioned about whether Iranian officials had accepted the conditions, Trump claimed Tehran had shown agreement at various stages but suggested that shifting leadership dynamics within Iran complicated the process: “They agree, but the next day they act differently,” he said. “We are dealing with different sets of leaders.”