Marco Rubio said diplomatic negotiations with Iran had made little progress, calling Tehran’s demands unacceptable and unrealistic, while defending Trump’s decision to confront the Iranian threat.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday said diplomatic efforts with Iran had made little progress, describing Tehran’s demands as “unacceptable”, “outrageous” and “ridiculous”. Speaking to reporters after arriving in France for a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, Rubio said Washington remained open to a diplomatic solution but suggested that negotiations were currently going nowhere.
“Right now it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic,” Rubio said.
He added that the US would explore a diplomatic solution if an opportunity emerged, while acknowledging that such efforts were not always possible.
Rubio also defended President Donald Trump’s approach to Iran, arguing that previous administrations had failed to confront the longstanding threat posed by Tehran.
“The president took on something that other presidents have failed to do,” Rubio said, adding that confronting difficult security challenges was sometimes unpopular but necessary.
Trump Says Fresh Military Strikes On Iran ‘Highly Unlikely’
Rubio’s remarks came as Trump expressed confidence that the US would not need to resume military action against Iran, provided negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz made progress.
In an interview with CNN, Trump repeated five times that fresh military action was “highly unlikely”, while warning that American forces remained prepared to launch further strikes if an agreement could not be reached. “It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Trump said. “The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary.”
However, the US President warned that Washington could still launch another military campaign if required. “We’re ready for it. I’ve got three aircraft carriers here. The other one just arrived. We have three. They’re fully locked and loaded,” he told CNN.