US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the United States cannot finalize a nuclear agreement with Iran “in 72 hours on the back of a napkin,” stressing that diplomacy will be given a full chance before Washington considers other options.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Rubio said the US will either reach a “good agreement” with Iran or deal with the matter “another way", as Washington played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war.
He said Washington is prepared to give diplomacy every opportunity to succeed before exploring alternatives, after President Donald Trump said on Sunday he had told his representatives not to rush into any Iran deal.
There was a "pretty solid thing on the table in terms of their ability to open up the strait, get the strait open, enter into a very real, significant, time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matter, and hopefully we can pull it off," Rubio said.
There was no immediate response from Iran's government. But the Tasnim news agency, linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said the US was still obstructing parts of a potential deal, including Tehran's demand for the release of frozen funds.
Under the proposal, Iran would first need to open the Strait of Hormuz. After that, both sides would enter serious, time-limited negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and enriched uranium.
Nuclear issues need time
Rubio told The New York Times that nuclear negotiations are highly technical and cannot be completed in three days.
“We’re not kicking it till later,” he said, adding that technical issues would take time to settle, though not years.
Rubio said seven or eight countries in the region support the current US approach toward Iran. He added that Washington is ready to move forward with the proposal and hopes the negotiation process can produce a positive result.
Trump not rushing Iran deal
Rubio said President Donald Trump is in no hurry to reach a deal and will not accept a bad agreement. His remarks came after Trump reportedly told US negotiators not to rush into an agreement with Iran to end the three-month war.
The US secretary of state said a deal with Iran is still possible and Washington is waiting for Tehran’s answer. Rubio added that Iran may need a little more time to respond, but warned that if no deal is reached, the US will consider alternative methods.
.jpg)
