Rubio Says No Breakthrough in Iran Talks as Tehran's Demands Called 'Outrageous and Ridiculous'

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said diplomatic efforts to end the war with Iran have made no progress, warning that Washington is nowhere near a breakthrough despite mediation by several countries. (Source: Al Jazeera)

Speaking to reporters at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida on Sunday before leaving for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris, Rubio said Iran's demands were "not just unacceptable, but in some cases, outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic". He said President Donald Trump remained open to a diplomatic settlement, but that the talks so far "haven't been very productive". (Source: Al Jazeera; Source: The Associated Press)

"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. He added that if a chance for a deal existed, the administration would explore it, while making clear that the conditions Tehran has put forward are, in Washington's view, not a basis for negotiation. (Source: Al Jazeera; Source: Moneycontrol)

Rubio also defended the decision to go to war, saying Trump had identified "a very real threat" from Iran's nuclear programme and acted to stop Tehran from pursuing a nuclear weapon. Doing so "isn't necessarily popular, but necessary", he said, arguing that the military campaign was launched to safeguard the world from that threat. (Source: Al Jazeera)

His remarks came as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Washington to accept Tehran's proposal to end hostilities on all fronts or face severe military retaliation. "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," Araghchi said. (Source: The Times of India; Source: Al Jazeera)

The standoff matters because it sits at the centre of the region's most dangerous conflict. Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping within two days if the United States meets its conditions, a step that would ease pressure on global energy supplies. Araghchi acknowledged that the diplomacy had reached an impasse and blamed the political situation in Washington after the midterm elections, in which Trump's Republicans lost control of Congress. "The main reason is the US election results, which have obviously come as a shock to everyone," he said. (Source: Al Jazeera; Source: The Times of India)

The conflict has now run for eight months, and the diplomatic track has narrowed to a small group of mediators. Qatar has been pressing both sides with new proposals, and Trump is due to meet Qatar's prime minister on Monday as that mediation continues. Rubio's blunt assessment suggests the gap between the two sides remains wide, with Washington rejecting Tehran's terms and Tehran insisting its two-day proposal is the most reasonable option on the table. (Source: News24; Source: Al Jazeera; Source: Associated Press)

What happens next will be shaped in Paris, where the G7 foreign ministers gather on Monday in their first meeting since the midterm result. Allies are expected to use the talks to gauge whether the election outcome changes the administration's approach to the Middle East. For now, Rubio's message is that no deal is close, leaving the ceasefire effort dependent on Qatar's mediation and on whether either side softens its conditions in the coming days. (Source: The Japan Times; Source: Al Jazeera)

This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance and verified against multiple independent sources.