US secretary of state says Iran ‘serious’ about deal

Iran is “serious” about reaching a deal with the US, but any agreement must prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday.

“I think they're are serious about getting themselves out of the mess that they’re in,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News.

He pointed to Iran’s worsening economic conditions, including inflation, difficulties paying wages, as well as ongoing sanctions, saying: “All the problems that Iran had before the start of this conflict are still in place, and most of them are worse.”

“We have to ensure that any deal that is made … definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,” he added.

Rubio's remarks came amid media reports suggesting Iran has floated a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the US lifting its blockade and ending the war, while deferring broader negotiations over its nuclear program to a later stage.

On Iran's claim that the Strait of Hormuz is open, Rubio responded: “The straits are opened, as long as you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, or we'll blow you up and you pay us. That's not opening the straits.”

“Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize, a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use an international waterway, and how much you have to pay them to use it,” he added.

Iran and the US held talks in Islamabad on April 11 but failed to reach an agreement to end the war that began on Feb. 28.

The negotiations followed a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on April 8, which was later extended by US President Donald Trump.

Trump cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan this weekend by special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Efforts are underway to organize another round of talks, though key sticking points include the Strait of Hormuz, the US blockade of Iranian ports and the future of Iran's nuclear program.

About 20% of global oil supply passes through the strait daily and heightened insecurity has driven up oil prices as well as shipping and insurance costs.