New Delhi [India], May 24 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday indicated that “significant progress” has been made in ongoing diplomatic efforts concerning Iran, stating that an announcement could be possible later today regarding a deal with Iran.
Any potential breakthrough over the Strait of Hormuz would depend on Iran accepting and complying with a proposed framework under discussion, Rubio said, stressing that Tehran must never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon.
Addressing reporters in New Delhi, alongside External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Rubio suggested that further announcements on the issue could come later in the day from US President Donald Trump.
“On the Iran situation, there’ll be, I believe, maybe more news coming out a little bit later today on this topic, and I’ll leave it to the President to make further announcements on it,” Rubio said.
“We think we’ve made some progress on the outline of something that, if it works, could give us that outcome,” Rubio said.
He added, “Suffice it to say that some progress has been made, significant progress, although not final progress has been made,” adding that any agreement would require “full Iranian acceptance and then compliance.”
“There is the possibility that over the next few hours, the world will get some good news,” Rubio said, referring to developments related to the Strait of Hormuz.
Reiterating Washington’s long-standing position on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Rubio said, ” I remind everybody that the ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
Rubio also sharply criticised Iran over threats linked to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy shipping route, calling any disruption of commercial navigation a violation of international law. He also said attacks on commercial vessels were “totally illegal.”
“The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and what they are doing now is basically they are threatening to destroy commercial vessels using an international waterway that is illegal under any concept of international law,” the US Secretary of State said.
Highlighting ongoing diplomatic coordination with Gulf nations, Rubio said recent efforts have focused on ensuring a free passage through the strategic waterway. He said, “Some progress over the last 48 hours working with our partners in the Gulf region on an outline that could ultimately, if it succeeds, leave us not just with a completely open Strait of Hormuz, and I mean open Strait without tolls.”
The goal, Rubio added, remained ensuring the world no longer faced the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar held delegation-level talks with the US Secretary of State Rubio at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, marking a key engagement in the ongoing high-level US-India diplomatic dialogue.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from both sides. Jaishankar was accompanied by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other senior officials, while Rubio was joined by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and members of the visiting American delegation.
During the meeting, Rubio described the first day of his visit as “fantastic” and emphasised that India and the United States are not just allies but “strategic allies”. He said that this “strategic partnership” is what sets the US-India relationship apart. He added that this “extends to opportunities to cooperate globally in different regions of the world”.
“It has already been a fantastic first day. We’re looking forward to our visits and our talks today and learning more about the country… As you’ve highlighted, the United States and India aren’t just allies; we’re strategic allies, and that’s of critical importance. We obviously work with countries all over the world and all over the region on a variety of issues as they emerge, but our strategic partnership is what sets this relationship apart, because it’s not simply limited to a region. It extends to opportunities to cooperate globally in different regions of the world, and that includes potentially in the Western Hemisphere and places like that,” he said.
He further said that there is a “lot to work on”, describing India and the US as the two “largest democracies in the world”, and he said that alone is a “baseline” for “incredible cooperation”. He also added that the current visit is about “continuing to build on what is already a very solid and strong strategic partnership.”
“We have a lot to discuss and a lot to work on. We are the two largest democracies in the world, and so that alone is a baseline for incredible cooperation. We have so many common interests that it makes all the sense in the world for us to continue to build upon. This is not about restoring or reinvigorating. I’ve seen people use that terminology. This is about continuing to build on what is already a very solid and strong strategic partnership. One of the most important ones that we have, and one of the most important ones in the world,” Rubio added.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the US Secretary of State called on Prime Minister Modi shortly after arriving in New Delhi. (ANI)