Rubio says that Trump “won’t make a bad deal” and that the only thing missing is Iran’s response
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, assured this Monday that President Donald Trump will not make a “bad agreement” with Iran and explained that negotiations for a pact are still underway because Tehran’s internal system requires more time to respond.
“We are still working on it, it takes a little time to receive an answer (…) As the president said, he is in no hurry. He is not going to sign a bad agreement. I mean he will not make a bad agreement. So we will see what happens,” Rubio told the media from the New Delhi air base.
When asked about the obstacles in the negotiations, which were expected to give a result on Sunday, Rubio clarified that the process is only awaiting the official response of the Islamic Republic. “(What’s holding up the deal) is just the response. I mean, when you get to the bottom of some of these things, you have to wait for a response, and it takes the Iranian system a little bit longer to respond,” the secretary of state added.
Rubio defended that US diplomacy has put forward a very firm proposal that seeks to resolve the maritime blockade crisis and channel the nuclear dispute in a multilateral manner. “So we have what I think is a pretty solid proposal on the table in terms of its ability to open the straits, get the straits opened, and start a very real, meaningful and time-limited negotiation on the nuclear issues, hopefully we can do that,” he stressed.
In order to calm the criticism that arose in the ranks of the Republican Party in Washington, where key senators had described the draft as a “disastrous error,” the head of diplomacy insisted that the plan has strong international support in the region. “He has a lot of support in the Gulf. There is a lot of support globally,” Rubio added.
According to the US official, who is on an official visit to India until Tuesday, the issue of Lebanon and the stabilization of the border with Israel is being managed in a completely independent way. “Well, on Lebanon we are working separately,” said Rubio, specifying that on that front a 45-day ceasefire is already in effect with daily contacts between the Lebanese and Israeli governments.
On Sunday, Rubio’s office condemned Hezbollah’s statements calling for the overthrow of the Lebanese government and accused the militia of undertaking “a deliberate campaign to destabilize the country” amid dialogue with Israel. “The problem is not Lebanon and Israel. The problem is Hezbollah. Last night they issued a statement calling for the overthrow of the Lebanese government. This reminds you who you are dealing with: a 100% Iranian proxy,” the diplomat stated before leaving for the Taj Mahal. (Efe)
