Secretary of State marco rubio Said on Tuesday that talks are going on with America iran and Tehran has agreed to negotiate on parts of its nuclear program It had previously declined to discuss it, as lawmakers pressed the Trump administration for a strategy to end the war.
“Negotiating with Iran is not like negotiating with Switzerland,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “They require the use of intermediaries.”
Rubio said there was a possibility “today,” “tomorrow” or “next week” that Iran could discuss nuclear issues that it had refused to discuss “just a month ago, just a year ago.”
It doesn’t guarantee a deal “acceptable to the Senate or acceptable to the American people,” Rubio said, but it would let the U.S. “really test” how far Iran is willing to go.
President Donald Trump also said in a post on Tuesday that reports of talks breaking down were dismissed. true social That “we have ongoing conversations,” including over the past several days and “today.”
“Where they take them, no one knows,” Trump said. wroteSaying that he told Iran, “Now is the time for you to reach a compromise, one way or the other.”
The comments were a significant shift from the administration’s position a day earlier, when Trump told CNBC he didn’t care if the Iran talks collapse.
Rubio, who also serves as President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, appeared before the panel for his first public testimony on the Iran war since the US and Israeli attacks began on February 28.
He defended Trump’s decision to start the war, saying Iran was trying to build a “conventional shield” of missiles, drones and naval assets around its nuclear program.
Rubio described Iran’s posture by saying, “If you come and do anything about our nuclear program, we will overwhelm you with missiles, we will overwhelm you with drones and we will overwhelm you with our navy.”
Rubio said Iran was demanding “a waiver of waivers” that Trump acted to reject.
He said Operation Epic Fury was “hugely successful”, dramatically reducing Iran’s ability to produce missiles and drones, although he acknowledged that Tehran “still has a lot of drones” because they are “easy to make.”
Rubio said reopening the Strait of Hormuz is central to de-escalating any tensions.
“They need to announce that they will no longer fire on commercial ships that are passing by or threaten to fire on ships,” Rubio said.
He said Iran should declare the strait open, stop charging tolls, help remove mines and pledge not to fire on commercial ships.
comes to hearing as Congress There is growing unease over the war, its economic fallout, and Trump’s authority to continue the conflict without lawmakers’ approval.
Sen jean shaheenD.N.H., Head of Committee democratAccused the administration of avoiding Congress’s monitoring.
“When I talk to my voters, they ask for economic relief at home, not for regime change in Havana or Caracas or Tehran,” Shaheen said.
He said the administration’s notification of war powers was “not a consultation” but “an attempt to avoid answering to this committee and this Congress about this war.”
The hearing – about the State Department budget – also moved beyond Iran, with Democrats pressing Rubio on whether the administration is pursuing regime change in several countries.
Rubio is scheduled to appear before multiple House and Senate panels this week as lawmakers press him on Iran, Venezuela, Cuba and the administration’s broader foreign policy.