U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the United States and Iran may require “a few more days” to reach an agreement to end the war between the two countries, dampening hopes for a quick resolution to the military conflict that began three months ago.
“The president’s expressed his desire to make [a deal] — he’s either going to make a good deal or no deal,” Rubio told journalists as he concluded a four-day visit to India, during which he discussed the war’s impact on global energy prices with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “But that may take a little while, I mean, a few more days.”
Rubio’s remarks came hours after the U.S. launched fresh strikes on Iranian targets. U.S. Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins described the attacks as defensive measures required to protect troops from “threats posed by Iranian forces.”
In India, Rubio linked the strikes, which targeted missile sites and mine-laying ships, to Washington’s efforts to restore maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has effectively closed the narrow waterway through which around 20 percent of the world’s oil and natural gas flows and demanded ships pay up to $2 million to be granted safe passage through the strait.
“The straits need to be open, unimpeded, without tolls,” Rubio said. “And obviously that needs to happen immediately as soon as anything’s agreed to.”
The White House cast the negotiations with Iran in an optimistic light over the weekend, raising expectations of an imminent peace deal. U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said the talks with Tehran were going well and described the agreement as being “largely negotiated.”
Rubio on Tuesday also addressed the Kremlin’s latest attacks on Ukraine and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s suggestion that countries with embassies in Kyiv should evacuate their diplomatic staff ahead of a major offensive targeting the capital city.
The secretary of state told reporters that he had spoken to his Russian counterpart Monday and confirmed Lavrov had warned him that Kyiv was “going to be a very dangerous place.” Rubio said the U.S.’s diplomatic staff in Ukraine had been notified of the heightened risk, but did not disclose if any evacuations had been ordered.