Washington DC: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict with Iran remain deadlocked, ruling out any imminent breakthrough and accusing Tehran of putting forward demands that Washington considers unacceptable and unrealistic.
Speaking to reporters at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida on Sunday, before departing for Paris to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Rubio acknowledged that several countries were attempting to mediate between the United States and Iran. However, he dismissed suggestions that the diplomatic efforts were close to producing an agreement.
“You have a number of countries that continue to engage them with different ideas, but I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough,” Rubio said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
The top US diplomat maintained that President Donald Trump remained open to resolving the conflict through negotiations but stressed that any agreement would have to be based on realistic terms.
“If there’s a chance to do it, we’ll explore it. Right now, it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic,” Rubio said.
His remarks came hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi issued a fresh warning to Washington, urging the Trump administration to accept Tehran’s proposal for ending hostilities on all fronts or prepare for further military escalation.
In a post on X on Sunday, Araghchi said the outcome of the US midterm elections had altered the diplomatic landscape, placing the responsibility for the next move squarely on Washington.
“American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own,” he wrote.
Issuing a direct warning to the US administration, Araghchi reiterated that Tehran’s two-day proposal remained on the table, demanding an end to the conflict across all fronts.
“Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results. Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell,” he added.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran, Araghchi also acknowledged that diplomatic negotiations had reached a standstill, attributing the pause to the political developments in the United States following the midterm elections.
“The main reason is the US election results, which have obviously come as a shock to everyone,” Al Jazeera quoted him as saying.
He added that mediators would need time before diplomatic engagement could resume, suggesting that the political atmosphere in Washington had complicated efforts to restart negotiations.
“It will take some time for things to settle down and for the atmosphere to become conducive to the mediators resuming their visits. We have to wait,” Araghchi said.
The contrasting statements from Washington and Tehran underscore the widening gap between the two sides, with diplomatic channels yet to produce tangible progress despite continued mediation efforts by third-party countries.
