Marco Rubio says US remains open to peace deal with Iran, calls Tehran's conditions 'absurd'

Résumé détaillé

Rubio said the US was open to negotiations with Iran, but called some of Tehran's conditions "absurd". | World News

US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Tuesday said the Trump administration remained open to a peace deal with Iran, but called some of Tehran's demands "absurd" and indicated that Washington would intensify its economic pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic.

His remarks came days after US President Donald Trump said the US military campaign against Iran was "effectively over", adding that Washington wanted to maintain the status quo in the region.

Speaking to reporters in Paris on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting, Rubio said the US economic sanctions and naval blockade of Iranian ports had inflicted severe damage on Iran's economy and he had informed allies that there would be no need to resume major combat operations.

The top US diplomat accused the "radical regime of lunatics" of destroying the country by refusing US demands to end the ongoing conflict. When asked about diplomatic efforts, Rubio said the US was open to negotiations but called Tehran's demands "unrealistic".

"Iran would love a deal. The problem is the conditions they continue to place are absurd. Like, they’re not even serious right now. But that could change, certainly. I mean, eventually you have to eat, eventually you have to be able to pay your own fighters and your own security forces and so forth," he remarked.

Also Read | US treasury chief Scott Bessent relocated to military base amid Iranian threats: Report

Rubio said the US campaign was wreaking "devastation" on the Iranian economy and indicated that it was likely to intensify in the coming months.

"The economic pressure is going to get even worse. I mean, understand that these sanctions begin to compound. So, for example, Iran still has a small number of – just a handful of barrels of oil left on the water that got past the blockade when it was the MOU and that brief ceasefire period. Once that dries up, almost all of their oil revenue will dry up," he added.

Rubio also remarked that the Iranian people "deserve better…

Début de l'article, extrait de Hindustan Times. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.