Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal with Iran could take "a few more days" as negotiations continue after a flare up at the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
Speaking to press, Rubio said President Donald Trump is "either going to make a good deal or no deal" but that "may take a little while, I mean, a few more days."
The remarks took place after the Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had targeted Iranian forces to protect its troops, but emphasized the ceasefire is still in place.
"Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire," said CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins in a statement on Monday.
Rubio linked the strike with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the key waterway through which about a fifth of the world energy passes needs to be "open, unimpeded, without tolls." Iran has expressed its intention to charge ships to compensate for damages sustained during the war.
"And obviously that needs to happen immediately as soon as anything's agreed to."
The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on its end, said it has the "legitimate" right to respond.
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warns against any violation of the ceasefire by the aggressive US military, and considers its right to reciprocal response to be legitimate and certain," the group said in a statement distributed in state-affiliated media.
The revolutionary guard also said it downed a U.S. drone and shot at other aircraft that had entered the country's airspace. It did not specify when the incidents happened.
Negotiations appear to continue in the meantime, and while both sides acknowledged progress had been made, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said there are "some issues that we have not yet finalized."
He went on to say that work remains to be done, especially given the "frequent changes in positions and contradictions" from the Trump administration.
"The frequent changes in positions and contradictions, which do not really need me to explain and which you can simply observe by looking at tweets issued by U.S. officials, show what situation we are dealing with and under what conditions we must pursue a diplomatic process with such a counterpart," Baghaei said.
