US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told Congress that Iran has agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear programme that it had refused to discuss just a month ago, even as Tehran announced it was halting peace talks and moving to fully close the Strait of Hormuz.
Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Rubio repeated the Trump administration's claims that a deal was within reach. He spoke after Iran's state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency reported that Tehran would stop exchanging messages with Washington through intermediaries, citing Israeli military operations in Lebanon as a ceasefire violation.
Rubio insisted progress could be made soon. 'There is the prospect before us, which could happen today, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen next week – that for the first time, they have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago they said they would not,' he told senators.
On the military front, Rubio claimed Iran's missile programme had been 'substantially degraded', its launcher capacity reduced, and its drone-building capability 'eroded'. He also said there was 'no Iranian navy', adding that it 'lies at the bottom of the ocean'. However, these claims have been contested, with The New York Times reporting in May that Iran retained roughly 70% of its prewar missile stockpile.
Rubio laid out a two-phase framework for negotiations. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is a precondition for any talks, with phase two requiring Iran to dispose of its highly enriched uranium stockpile and negotiate severe limitations on enrichment activity. He ruled out offering sanctions relief simply to reopen the waterway, stating that any relief would be tied to Iran's nuclear programme.
