‘There is a prospect that Iran has agreed to negotiate aspects of nuke programme’: Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is engaged in talks with Iran and expressed cautious optimism that negotiations could lead to progress on Tehran's nuclear programme and regional tensions. Speaking on Tuesday (May 2), Rubio said Iran had agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear programme that it had previously refused to discuss, describing the development as a potential breakthrough in diplomatic efforts. "There is a prospect that Iran has agreed to negotiate aspects of the nuclear programme that they previously refused to mention in discussions," Rubio said.

He added that the United States hopes the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and that discussions could then expand to other issues. "We are in talks with Iran," Rubio said, while stressing that reopening the strategic waterway remains Washington's top condition.

According to Rubio, "Condition number one" in the negotiations is for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and publicly declare that maritime traffic can move freely through the passage. "Iran has to announce very clearly that the Hormuz Strait is now open," Rubio said. "The Strait has to reopen for anything else in the deal with Iran to happen."

Rubio accused Tehran of failing to honour previous commitments, saying Iran had indicated it would reopen the waterway after a ceasefire came into effect but had not done so. He also alleged that Iran was continuing to fire on commercial ships in the region. The US Secretary of State emphasised that any easing of sanctions would be strictly conditional. "Iran will not get sanctions relief just for reopening the Strait of Hormuz," he said.

Rubio said Tehran would also need to commit to specific negotiations regarding the disposition of its highly enriched uranium stockpile before sanctions relief could be considered. "Any sanctions relief on Iran is condition-based," Rubio said. The top US diplomat also claimed that Iran's conventional military capabilities had been significantly weakened.

"Iranian conventional shield has been substantially eroded," Rubio said, while adding that there were indications that Iran's Supreme Leader was becoming increasingly engaged in decision-making related to the ongoing negotiations. Beyond Iran, Rubio said the United States intends to end waivers related to sanctions on Russian oil in the near future.

He also announced that Washington would re-engage with the global vaccine alliance Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, saying the administration wanted an outcome that would satisfy both Congress and US global health objectives. "We're not just providing money, we are also seeking outcomes," Rubio said. "It's not just how much money you spend on a programme, it's whether you're getting outcomes from it."