U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reiterated this Tuesday that Washington keeps the door open to an agreement with Iran to end the war, although he has blamed Tehran and its “absurd conditions” for the fact that an understanding has still not been reached.
“Iran would be delighted to reach an agreement. The problem is that the conditions they continue to raise are absurd. That is to say, right now they don’t even seem to be negotiating seriously,” he said in remarks made in Paris, where he met with the G7 foreign ministers.
Despite this, he insisted that Washington’s position remains favorable to dialogue. “The United States is always willing. If there is a real agreement that can be reached, we are open to negotiating it, and there are countries that are participating in these efforts,” he said in detail, highlighting Qatar’s role as a mediator between the parties.
“If there is a possible agreement, the president will be the first to support it. But it will not be an absurd agreement or a bad one,” the head of U.S. diplomacy stressed.
In his view, the “economic” “suffering” that Iran is going through “will end up taking its toll.” “In the end, you have to be able to pay the combatants themselves, the security forces, and others as well. Sooner or later, economic realities end up penetrating even the skull of the most radical lunatic,” he said.
Rubio’s words come in a context in which the United States and Iran have resumed indirect contacts through mediators such as Qatar, in a new attempt to bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East following the surprise attack by the United States and Israel last February, aimed at decapitating the Islamic Republic.
In this framework, Iran’s latest offer includes the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz within a period of two days once its demands are met: lifting the U.S. naval blockade, resuming oil trade —including Iranian— and a ceasefire on all fronts.