US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Monday of the consequences of any Iranian attack on US interests around the world, as an Iranian parliamentary official said the Islamic Consultative Assembly was considering a bill to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, amid renewed mediation efforts to end the war that began seven months ago.
Rubio warns against targeting US interests
In an interview with Fox News, Rubio said Iran had “threatened to attack our interests around the world and we are taking these threats extremely seriously”, stressing that targeting US interests would trigger a response and consequences. He added that the United States’ problem was not with Iran as a country, but with the regime governing it.
On shipping and energy flows, the US secretary said the Strait of Hormuz was “open now” and that oil flows through the waterway were approaching pre-war levels. The status of the strait and the freedom of oil shipments are among the issues included in proposals being discussed to halt the fighting.
Rubio sharply criticised Iran’s leadership, claiming that Iranian leaders believed that “hastening the end of the world and the coming of the Hour” was a religious duty for them, adding that “this is not an exaggeration”, as he put it. He said people holding such beliefs could not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, saying they would “use it to blackmail the world and kill people”.
The US secretary of state said Tehran wanted to use its arsenal to threaten countries in the region and US forces, then move towards acquiring nuclear weapons. He stressed that “Iran possessing a nuclear weapon represents an unacceptable danger”, adding that President Donald Trump “did what previous American presidents spoke about but did not do”, referring to preventing Iran from acquiring such a weapon.
Washington links sanctions to funding Iranian activities
On sanctions, Rubio said the Iranian economy was facing what he described as a catastrophic situation and was rapidly deteriorating further. He explained that, in his view, US policy was not limited to imposing economic costs on the regime in Tehran, but was also linked to how the Iranian authorities used the money they obtained.
Rubio accused Iran of using its resources over recent decades to fund what he described as “terrorism and assassination plots around the world”. He said denying Tehran oil revenues through sanctions was not aimed only at punishing it, but also at preventing it from obtaining money to fund what he called “malign activities”.
Trump denies offering sanctions relief
Trump, for his part, said victory in the war with Iran was “very close”, predicting a sharp fall in fuel prices. The US president denied on Monday a report that he had offered Tehran sanctions relief and the release of some of its frozen funds, saying: “That is not true. I did not offer them anything!” He also described the report as a “hoax” and called on the site that published it to retract it.
A press report had quoted US officials as saying that Trump was prepared to grant Iran sanctions relief and release some of its frozen assets in return for Tehran taking “concrete Iranian steps” on its nuclear programme.
CNN, for its part, quoted a US official as saying that Trump was prepared to ease sanctions and release frozen Iranian funds as part of a final agreement, provided that Tehran made “concrete progress” on the nuclear issue. The conflicting statements came as US and Iranian officials announced on Monday that they were holding separate talks with mediators, as part of renewed efforts to end the war that has continued for seven months.
It also included the release of frozen Iranian assets, the lifting of sanctions imposed on Iranian oil and an end to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Trump rejected the Iranian proposal last Saturday.
This followed indirect talks held several days earlier on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings, involving US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on one side and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the other. Tehran, meanwhile, announced on Monday that it did not currently intend to hold further direct talks with Washington.
Mediation efforts and Iranian nuclear withdrawal bill
In a related development concerning the nuclear issue, Iranian parliament deputy speaker Ali Nikzad said the assembly was considering a bill calling for Iran to withdraw from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. He said the bill would be considered the same day after its formal receipt was announced, adding that parliament would also examine its international implications.
Iran has long denied possessing or seeking to produce nuclear weapons, saying it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes based on its membership of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
