US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that a deal to end the war with Iran could emerge “today”, amid uncertainty as efforts continue to secure a peace agreement between Washington and Tehran.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to India, Rubio said there is “a pretty solid” proposal on the table in terms of Iran’s “ability to open up” the Strait of Hormuz and “enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matters”.

“And hopefully we can pull it off. It has a lot of support in the Gulf. It has a lot of support globally; Every country that we’ve walked through it, understands it’s not just very reasonable, but it’s the right thing for the world to get done,” he said.

Rubio reiterated that Trump is not in a hurry to reach an agreement, Al Jazeera said in a report.

“The president is not going to make a bad agreement, so let’s see what happens. We’re going to give diplomacy every chance to succeed before we explore the alternatives.”

Rubio added that a successful agreement would ensure the world no longer had to fear Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Rubio said there had been expectations of an announcement overnight but cautioned against reading too much into the timing of negotiations.

“We thought we might have some news last night, maybe today,” Rubio said.

He also reiterated Washington’s support for Israel’s security, saying Israel had the right to respond if attacked by Hezbollah.

“Israel always has a right to protect itself,” Rubio said. “If Hezbollah is going to launch missiles or launch missiles at them, Israel has every right to respond to that.”

Rubio said any future agreement with Iran would not affect Israel’s right to defend itself.

Rubio’s comments come after US President Donald Trump said Washington and Tehran were making progress towards a potential peace deal, but cautioned negotiators against moving too quickly as several major issues remain unresolved.

Iran confirmed that draft negotiations were ongoing, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “significant progress, although not final progress,” had been achieved in the talks.

Diplomatic efforts have also drawn support from regional leaders, with officials from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Turkey, Jordan and Pakistan participating in discussions focused on regional security and stability.

The talks come amid efforts to reinforce a fragile ceasefire and ease tensions that have disrupted energy markets and heightened instability across the Middle East.