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United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that diplomatic efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict with Iran have achieved no progress or breakthrough, squarely blaming Tehran for making "unacceptable," "outrageous," and "ridiculous" demands, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters at the Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida ahead of his departure for Paris to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers' meeting, Rubio offered a candid evaluation of regional backchannel negotiations. While acknowledging that multiple third-party nations are actively mediating between Washington and Tehran, the top US diplomat dismissed suggestions that a deal was imminent. "You have a number of countries that continue to engage them with different ideas, but I wouldnt say were at the verge of a breakthrough," Rubio was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera. Rubio emphasised that while President Donald Trump maintains a preference for resolving international disputes through diplomacy, negotiations cannot proceed under non-viable conditions. "If theres a chance to do it, well explore it. Right now, it hasnt been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic," Rubio stated, according to Al Jazeera. Rubio's blunt assessment aligns with earlier remarks made by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who also acknowledged in Tehran that negotiations to end hostilities had stalled following the outcome of the US midterm elections. Earlier in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi issued a fierce warning to the United States, telling the White House to either accept Tehrans proposal to end hostilities on all fronts or face severe military retaliation that will "rain down hell. Araghchis dual-track diplomatic ultimatum and combative rhetoric followed the conclusion of the US midterm elections, which he asserted had completely disrupted the pace of regional negotiations. Taking to social media platform X on Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Minister declared that the ball is firmly in Washingtons court to decide between a negotiated de-escalation and catastrophic regional warfare. "American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own," Araghchi posted. Issuing a direct warning to the Trump administration, Araghchi added, "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." Soon after, speaking to reporters in the Iranian capital, Araghchi disclosed that diplomatic efforts to broker a cessation of hostilities have hit an impasse, directly linking the standstill to political volatility in Washington, according to Al Jazeera. "The main reason is the US election results, which have obviously come as a shock to everyone," Araghchi was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera. "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 stated. (ANI)
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