US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has indicated that progress is being made toward a potential agreement between Washington and Tehran following what he described as a significant diplomatic engagement led by US President Donald Trump with leaders from the region. Speaking about the ongoing negotiations, Rubio said there is a broad consensus on the framework of a preliminary draft, though discussions are continuing over specific details before any final agreement can be reached.
“Well, look, I think our position is well stated. The president had a very important, I think, historic call just a couple of days ago with a number of leaders from the region,” Rubio said.The Secretary of State suggested that the recent conversations had helped align the parties involved around key principles that could form the basis of a future deal.
“I think there’s strong alignment and agreement on what a preliminary draft should look like,” he added.
However, Rubio cautioned that negotiations of this nature often require additional time to resolve even minor differences in wording and interpretation. He noted that discussions are expected to continue over the coming days as negotiators work through outstanding issues.“I think, like anything with something like this, it’s going to take a couple of days to settle on even down to the disagreements over a word, a sentence. So we’ll have to work through that. If there’s going to be a deal, we’re going to have to work through that,” Rubio said.
While expressing optimism about the ongoing talks, Rubio stressed that any final agreement must meet the expectations of all parties involved. He made clear that the administration would not pursue an arrangement merely for the sake of reaching a deal.“But this is, you know, it’s either going to be a good deal or there isn’t going to be one,” he stated.Rubio’s remarks come amid continued diplomatic efforts involving regional leaders and the United States, with negotiations focused on finalising the language and structure of a preliminary agreement between Washington & Tehran.