"Progress" being made toward peace deal with Iran: Marco Rubio

New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): Highlighting a potential breakthrough in Middle East diplomacy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently on a four-day official visit to India, revealed during a red-carpet event at the US Embassy in the national capital that active progress is being made toward a peace agreement with Iran.
Elaborating on the status of the diplomatic engagement and Washington's core expectations regarding Tehran's nuclear and maritime activities, the top US diplomat noted that active efforts are currently underway.
"There's been some progress made. Even as I speak to you now, there's some work being done. This issue needs to be solved, as the President said, one way or the other. Iran can never have nuclear weapons. The straits need to be opened without tolls. They need to turn over their enriched uranium, they need to turn over the highly enriched uranium. If we need to address that issue, we need to address the issue of enrichment. These are the President's points consistently," the Secretary of State said.
Reiterating the American administration's primary focus on resolving the geopolitical standoff through statecraft, the visiting diplomat emphasised Washington's commitment to achieving a peaceful resolution.
"His (Trump's) preference is always to deal with it in a diplomatic way. The President's preference is always to solve problems such as these through a negotiated diplomatic solution. That's what we're working on right now. We hope it's done through the diplomatic route. That's what we're working on," Rubio added.
However, even as Washington pushes for a diplomatic breakthrough, starkly contrasting rhetoric has emerged from Tehran.
Delivering a stern warning to Washington, Iran's chief negotiator on Saturday cautioned against severe retaliation should US President Donald Trump resume military strikes against the country.
The official asserted that Tehran has reconstructed its military capabilities over the course of the six-week ceasefire in the Middle East conflict.
Underscoring this aggressive stance, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf took to social media to declare, "Our armed forces have rebuilt themselves during the ceasefire period in such a way that if Trump commits another act of folly and restarts the war, it will certainly be more crushing and bitter for the United States than on the first day of the war."
This sharp warning from Ghalibaf followed a meeting in the Iranian capital with Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has been involved in diplomatic engagements surrounding the conflict.
Munir, who reached Tehran on Friday, has been holding discussions with the Iranian leadership at a critical juncture when Trump threatens to scrap the fragile truce that has halted hostilities since April 8.
The backdrop to these high-stakes negotiations traces back to earlier this year, when the full-scale military conflict erupted on February 28 following joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which led Tehran to respond with a barrage of missile and drone strikes across the region.
Amid fears of a collapse of the current truce, regional diplomatic channels have intensified.
According to the Iranian foreign ministry, Munir engaged in late-night talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday, during which both sides evaluated "the latest diplomatic efforts and initiatives aimed at preventing further escalation and ending" the war.
Further cementing these continuous consultations, official images released on Iran's presidential website showed Munir in a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Saturday, ahead of another scheduled session with Araghchi.
State broadcaster IRIB indicated that this subsequent meeting at the foreign ministry was slated to be a "very detailed and probably long" legal review.
Tehran's intense regional outreach has not been limited to Islamabad.
Simultaneously, Araghchi held diplomatic phone calls with his counterparts from Turkey, Iraq, and Qatar, as reported by the IRNA state news agency.
IRNA further noted that the Iranian foreign minister reviewed "ongoing diplomatic efforts and trends to prevent escalation of tensions and to end the war" during a conversation with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
These multiple diplomatic tracks reflect the complex web of regional mediation.
While Oman has historically acted as a backchannel mediator between Tehran and Washington, Iran has framed Pakistan as a participant in mediation tracks involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
However, the path to lasting peace remains fraught with friction.
Currently reviewing the latest American proposals, the Iranian leadership has blamed Washington for stalling progress, accusing the US administration of "excessive demands" in the negotiations.
Ultimately, despite a round of direct discussions arranged in Islamabad last month, alongside weeks of quiet backchannel diplomacy, an official agreement to permanently conclude the hostilities remains elusive. (ANI)