Rubio Says Iran Talks Have Made No Breakthrough and Rejects Tehran’s Demands

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday, November 8, that talks with Iran had produced no breakthrough and that Tehran’s demands were unacceptable. He spoke to journalists before departing for France to attend a meeting of G7 foreign ministers. Rubio said several countries remained in contact with Iran and were putting forward ideas, but he described the discussions as unproductive. “I have no progress to report,” Rubio said. He rejected the suggestion that an agreement was close and described some Iranian demands as outrageous, ridiculous and detached from reality. President Donald Trump preferred diplomatic solutions, he said, and the administration would consider an opportunity for diplomacy if one emerged. Asked about possible further American strikes, Rubio said the United States could act if American forces or shipping in the region faced a clear and immediate threat. He tied any action to the severity of the threat and to whether Iran was acting, or intended to act, against the United States. Rubio also defended Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran despite its potential political costs. He said an Iran armed with nuclear weapons would threaten Israel, the Middle East, the wider world and the United States. He declined to discuss whether the war had contributed to the Republicans’ defeat in the U.S. midterm elections.