Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration is simultaneously pursuing a long-term agreement to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program while also working on a separate, short-term arrangement aimed at keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and safe for international shipping.
Speaking about the ongoing negotiations, Rubio emphasized that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains the administration’s overriding objective.
“I think there’s two things to talk about when there’s a deal,” Rubio said. “There’s the big deal, which is the one that has to do with their nuclear ambitions.”
Rubio reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s position that Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
“They can never have a nuclear weapon. The President’s been clear about that. So the denuclearization of Iran is the ultimate deal,” Rubio stated.
At the same time, he explained that the administration is giving immediate attention to protecting maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important waterways for global energy shipments.
“I think the immediate deal, the one that you see a lot of focus on, is the Straits,” he said. “There are ships moving through the Straits. There’s oil moving right now through the Straits, and the Straits are open.”
Rubio said the United States is participating in discussions involving Oman and Iran that are intended to improve the security of commercial vessels passing through the strait while negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program continue.
“I think that there’s a conversation and a negotiation that we are involved in between Oman and Iran on how more ships can be able to go through there safely in the short term as we move towards these longer-term talks about denuclearization,” he said.
While cautioning that no agreement has been finalized, Rubio said the negotiations have moved in a positive direction.
“There’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly.”
{Matzav.com}