US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States is awaiting Tehran’s response to Washington’s proposal for ending the Middle East crisis, adding that he hopes “it will be a serious proposal.” Specifically, Rubio during an informal press briefing in Rome, after his meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, stated “we should know something today.”
“We haven’t received it yet, at least as of an hour ago,” the American Secretary of State said, adding: “Their system remains extremely fragmented and dysfunctional, so that may work as an impediment.” The head of American diplomacy expressed hope that Iran’s response would be “something that can lead us into a serious negotiation process.”
Rubio also referred to reports during the night “that Iran has established or is trying to establish some service that would control traffic in the Strait,” saying that “this would be a very serious problem, it would actually be unacceptable.”
Rubio: We won’t negotiate with Iran over Hezbollah
Referring to Lebanon, the US Secretary of State stated that the reason the country “faces violence” is the Iran-backed Lebanese armed organization Hezbollah.
He added that the US wants to strengthen and “equip” Lebanon’s government to counter Hezbollah’s “threat,” while noting that Italy is among the countries that can play a role by helping to “equip” the government and cut off funding that supports the Lebanese organization.
Rubio emphasized that Hezbollah continues to be capable of “causing damage,” although its leadership has been hit. “We are not going to negotiate with Iran over Hezbollah.” “I believe our role is with Lebanon’s government,” he said.
“Lebanon should be governed by Lebanon’s government. It shouldn’t have a terrorist organization operating within its national territory that poses a threat to both its own people -including the Shiite population- as well as to the government, Israel, and its other neighbors.”
We won’t waste time if Ukraine effort isn’t progressing
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Rubio stated Friday that the United States remains ready to play a mediating role in ending it, provided this can prove productive, but added that Washington doesn’t want to waste time if the effort isn’t progressing.
The head of American diplomacy also emphasized that Taiwan will likely be discussed during President Donald Trump’s visit to China next week and that there must be stability in the Taiwan Strait.
