JAKARTA - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was injured in the US-Israeli attack and has not been seen in public since taking office, is alive and getting more active.
Secretary of State Rubio testified before a Senate panel as talks to end the three-month-old war that has convulsed the Middle East and triggered a global energy crisis have stalled.
"I think there are indications out there that he is becoming more active on some levels," Rubio told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, launching Al Arabiya (3/6).
Mojtaba Khamenei (56) replaced his father mendingan Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of the US-Israeli attack that launched the war on February 28.
Foreign Minister Rubio expressed hope for an agreement with Iran, while stressing that Tehran must strictly limit its nuclear program in order for sanctions to be lifted.
Iran, he continued, has agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear program that it had previously refused to discuss.
"There are prospects in front of us, which could happen today, could happen tomorrow, could happen next week," said Foreign Minister Rubio.
He said Tehran must agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the main shipping lane for Gulf oil and gas.
"They have to announce very clearly 'the strait is now open, we are not charging toll'. We will help remove the mines they put there, and they will not fire at the ship," he explained.
"They must agree to negotiate strict and long-term restrictions and/or cancellation of enrichment activities," he continued.
"Iran is sanctioned because they have enriched uranium highly, Iran is sanctioned because of their nuclear activities, if they agree to stop these things, there will be sanctions lifted," he said.
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