US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that sanctions against Iran will not be lifted in exchange for its agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking at a Senate committee hearing on 2 June, Rubio said: “that was not discussed. It was not proposed.”
His comments directly contradict reports in Iranian state media about a draft agreement being discussed by Tehran and Washington through Pakistani mediators. Those reports say the agreement under discussion includes sanctions relief and the return of Iranian funds that have been frozen abroad.
Rubio told senators that the first stage of any deal would be Iran opening the Strait of Hormuz and then there would be a second stage related to Iran’s nuclear programme that would last 30-90 days.
He added that the negotiations are complicated by delays caused by the power structure in Iran. He said Iranian negotiators then had to negotiate with their own leadership council in Tehran, causing delays of several days each time new messages were relayed.
Rubio was also asked if he could use his influence in Donald Trump’s administration to persuade it to provide lawmakers with a legal justification for the military strikes on Iran that the United States with Israel launched on 28 February.
“Let me go back and refer to the Office of Legal Counsel. But certainly they have provided the legal justification for the strike,” he said.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump told ABC News he expects to reach an agreement with Iran to extend the ceasefire and open the Strait of Hormuz within the next week. In a phone call on 1 June, Trump said a peace agreement could be “even better than a military victory”.
The two sides have been discussing a draft agreement brokered by Pakistan in recent weeks. A limited ceasefire has been in place since April, with the sides periodically exchanging strikes