Washington DC - President Donald Trump said Sunday that he had told negotiators "not to rush into a deal" with Iran amid anticipation – and mounting criticism – of an agreement to end the war in the Middle East.

"The negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner, and I have informed my representatives not to rush into a deal in that time is on our side," Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

"The Blockade will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed."

The US has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports since April 13 after Tehran virtually halted traffic through the economically vital Strait of Hormuz in response to the US-Israeli attacks on Iran that began February 28.

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"Both sides must take their time and get it right," Trump went on to say, while slamming the 2015 nuclear deal that former president Barack Obama agreed to with Iran.

"Our relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one. They must understand, however, that they cannot develop or procure a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb," Trump added.

While the White House has not released aspects of the deal, Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Saturday that the two sides were nearing "a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement composed of 14 clauses" in "a trend toward rapprochement."

According to Axios, a possible agreement would extend the current ceasefire by 60 days, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, allow Iran to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on Iran's nuclear program.

In Washington, Republican lawmakers close to Trump were among those expressing fears of an agreement favorable to Iran.

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The top Republican senator overseeing defense policy, Roger Wicker, said that agreeing to a "rumored 60-day ceasefire" with Iran would mean "everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!"

Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, said on CNN's State of the Union program, "We're talking about a posture where we may accept the nuclear material remaining in Iran. How does that make sense at all?"

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told The New York Times on Sunday that an agreement with Iran had garnered regional support but a nuclear deal would need more time.

"We're not kicking it till later. Nuclear talks are highly technical matters. You can't do a nuclear thing in 72 hours on the back of a napkin," Rubio said.