U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed a short while ago (Tuesday) to the Senate the progress in negotiations with Iran. According to him, the Iranians have agreed for the first time to discuss elements regarding the nuclear issue—a clause that a month or a year ago they did not even agree to mention. Rubio emphasized that this does not mean a deal will definitely be signed, but it is a possible scenario that could happen even today, tomorrow, or next week.
1+Rubio’s statement comes after President Trump said last night that a potential diplomatic breakthrough with the Islamic Republic exists. The leader of the free world confirmed that the talks with Iran are continuing at a high pace, just a few hours after Tehran announced a absolute halt of diplomatic channels with Washington.
In a phone call that Trump held with ABC’s Chief Washington Correspondent, Jonathan Karl, the President was asked about the diplomatic crisis that was revealed earlier that day, when Iran decided to cut contact in protest of the Israeli aggression in Lebanon. Trump clarified that the situation is under full control: “It looks good, looks good. There was a small glitch today, but I turned it around very quickly, as you probably noticed earlier. The Iranians were upset by Israel’s strikes in Lebanon.”
1+Earlier, in a conversation he held with the NBC network, Trump noted that it is his intention to ask Netanyahu for explanations and to ask him “what is happening with Lebanon,” this in parallel to his statement that Iran did not update the U.S. in advance regarding its decision to temporarily freeze the communication channels between them.
Trump expressed great hope regarding the chances to end the international crisis that has paralyzed global shipping lanes, and noted that the official memorandum of understandings for the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and the extension of the ceasefire is within reach: “I think we are talking about the coming week. I still have not agreed to it finally because I still need to achieve a few more points. But a peace agreement with Iran could be even better than a military victory.”