new delhi, May 24
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is currently on a four-day visit to India, on Sunday, May 24, said in New Delhi that there is a possibility of “good news” regarding the ongoing peace deal with Iran later in the day.
Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Rubio told mediapersons that they have made “some progress over the last 48 hours working with our partners in the Gulf region on an outline that could ultimately, if it succeeds, leave us not just with the completely open straits, and I mean open straits without tolls.”
“So, we think we have made some progress on the outline of something that, if it works, could give us that outcome… But I do think perhaps there is the possibility that over the next few hours the world will get some good news, at least with regards to the straits and with regards to a process that can ultimately leave us where the president wants us to be,” he added.
Rubio highlighted that the potential peace deal would address concerns regarding the Strait of Hormuz, which was blocked by Iran in response to the deadly attacks by the US and Israel earlier this year.
“I remind everybody that the ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon… The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and what they are doing now is basically they are threatening to destroy commercial vessels using an international waterway that is illegal under any concept of international law,” he claimed.
Rubio’s statement comes after US President Donald Trump shared on his Truth Social platform that the peace deal with Iran has been “largely negotiated” after calls with Israel and other allies in the region. This will potentially pave the way for an end to the war in Middle East.
Trump has described the negotiations as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE” and stated that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened as part of the proposed understanding.
However, Iran has rejected the claims from the US President and said that Tehran continues to maintain control over Hormuz.
Iran rejects Marco Rubio’s statement
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) termed Trump’s post as a “propaganda” and stated that no commitment on Tehran’s nuclear programme has been made, as per the Fars news agency.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India, meanwhile, has rejected Marco Rubio’s statement regarding the Gulf Nation. It further accused the US of attempting to “distort the realities of the region”.
It added that the United States was trying to divert attention from what it described as the destabilising policies of Washington and the “Zionist regime.”
“The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in India rejects the recent remarks made by the United States Secretary of State regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran and emphasizes that such allegations constitute a clear attempt to distort the realities of the region and to deflect attention from the destabilizing policies of the United States and the Zionist regime,” it said.
