US Secretary of State Rubio Says Iran Has Agreed to Negotiate Aspects of Its Nuclear Program

US Secretary of State Rubio. (Wikimedia Commons/Official State Department/Freddie Everett)

JAKARTA - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Iran had agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear program, and expressed hope that ongoing talks could help secure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the State Department's budget request, Secretary of State Rubio said: "We are in talks. There is a prospect in front of us, which could happen today, could happen tomorrow, could happen next week, that for the first time, of course in my memory, they have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program," as reported by Anadolu (3/6).

He said the US hopes the negotiations will lead to a broader understanding that will include reopening the strategic waterway.

"We hope that something like that can happen, where the strait will be reopened, we will enter a period of negotiations on very specific topics, detailed negotiations, in the hope of achieving results that are acceptable to us and something that they can also do," he said.

Furthermore, Foreign Minister Rubio harshly criticized Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz, calling them "illegal and illegal."

"There is no country in the world, other than Iran, and maybe Oman, that has ever toyed with it, that supports what Iran is doing in the strait," he said.

"China is against it, Russia is against it, everyone is against it, the whole world is against it," he said.

Foreign Minister Rubio said the reopening of the strait meant that ships should be able to cross international waters "without being fired at" and "without paying customs duties."

When asked whether the lifting of sanctions had been discussed in return for reopening the strait, Rubio replied: "No, it has not been discussed."

"The lifting of any sanctions is based on conditions, which means it must be in return for the reason why the sanctions were imposed in the first place, namely their nuclear program," he said.

Foreign Minister Rubio emphasized that if Iran opened the Strait of Hormuz, the US would lift the blockade on Iranian ports.

He also revealed that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive and still involved in decision-making, but noted that Mojtaba only communicates through written messages and intermediaries.

Rubio said the Iranian negotiation process seemed to be very centralized, with messages sent by Iranian officials to the council for approval, a process he said could take "three to five days" before a response was given.

He also added that US and Israeli attacks had greatly reduced Iran's missile and drone capabilities, but acknowledged that Tehran still had "many drones," noting that drones were relatively easy to produce.

"Iran's conventional shield has been substantially eroded eroded now after the incident," he added.