Iran on Saturday signaled “narrowing differences” in negotiations with the U.S. as President Donald Trump weighs a new round of attacks on the Islamic Republic.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted that developments could soon emerge in ongoing peace talks involving Iran.
“There is a chance that whether it’s later today, tomorrow, in a couple of days, we may have something to say,” Rubio said on Saturday while speaking on a red carpet at a reception outside the Roosevelt House, which is the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to India.”But this issue needs to be solved, as the president said, one way or the other. Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. The Straits need to be open without tolls. They need to turn over their highly enriched uranium,” he added. “We need to address that issue. We need to address the issue of enrichment. These are the president’s points consistently.”
Rubio on Friday said there was “some progress” made in talks aimed at easing the conflict involving Iran and U.S.-allied forces.
“There’s been a little bit of movement and that’s good,” Rubio said, while cautioning against overstating the significance of the progress.
His remarks come amid growing speculation that the Trump administration could be nearing either a diplomatic breakthrough or another phase of military action involving Iran.
Trump has repeatedly warned that Tehran could face “another big hit” if negotiations fail or if Iran threatens U.S. interests and international shipping routes.
Rubio also said the U.S. remains firmly opposed to any Iranian effort to impose tolls or restrictions on ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit routes. He described such a move as “unacceptable” and said discussions were underway among allies regarding a possible “Plan B” if diplomacy collapses.
The White House has not publicly confirmed whether strikes are imminent, but reports indicate military planning has intensified in recent days.
The comments follow weeks of escalating tensions after U.S. and Israeli military operations targeted Iranian infrastructure in February, triggering retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region.
Rubio did not elaborate on what specific developments could emerge.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.