Washington (Monitoring Desk) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has strongly rejected Iran’s conditions regarding the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, stating that requiring permission from Iran or making any financial payment for the movement of ships is unacceptable.
In an interview with a US television channel, he described the Strait of Hormuz as an “economic nuclear weapon” and said that the United States will not allow any form of extortion. He added that the US will not permit Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and that pressure will continue even if no agreement is reached.
Marco Rubio said that there are elements within Iran who want to run the country and its economy in a better way, but hardline factions are obstructing the path toward negotiations.
Meanwhile, according to US media reports, President Donald Trump has not completely rejected Iranian proposals but remains skeptical about Iran’s intentions, particularly over its reluctance to include the nuclear issue in the initial phase of talks.
Reports suggest that Iran has presented new proposals through Pakistan, including a phased plan starting with a ceasefire followed by guarantees for a permanent peace agreement. Iran has also linked the opening of the Strait of Hormuz to the lifting of US blockades, while demanding recognition of its right to uranium enrichment in nuclear talks.
The US President has stated that negotiations are meaningless if Iran does not abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions. However, international media reports indicate that backchannel diplomacy and phased negotiation efforts between both countries are still ongoing.
