Rubio: No Breakthrough in Talks with Iran, US Ready to Act

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Sunday that negotiations with Iran are currently unproductive and that the United States is not close to a diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran. Speaking to reporters before departing for France for a G7 foreign ministers meeting, Rubio said, "I have no progress to report. There are a number of countries that continue to engage with Iran and put forward various ideas, but I would not say we are on the verge of a breakthrough."

Rubio explained that while the President would always prefer to resolve issues diplomatically, it is sometimes impossible. "If there is an opportunity to do so, we will examine it. Currently, the talks have not been particularly fruitful because the Iranian demands are simply unacceptable, and in some cases, they are outrageous, ridiculous, and detached from reality," he said.

Regarding potential further U.S. actions against Iran, Rubio clarified that the United States would act if its forces or maritime traffic in the region were threatened. "If there is a clear and immediate threat to shipping or to our forces in the region, we have the right to defend ourselves. It all depends on the level of the threat and whether they are acting against us or intend to do so," he stated.

The Secretary of State also defended President Trump's decision to go to war with Iran, despite potential political costs. "A nuclear Iran would be unacceptable and dangerous not only to Israel and the Middle East but to the entire world and the United States. The President faced a threat that other presidents could not deal with. Sometimes the right thing is not necessarily popular, but it is necessary," Rubio commented. He declined to address whether the war contributed to the Republicans' defeat in the midterm elections.