Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed on Friday that back-channel discussions to halt the U.S.-Israel war with Iran is “a little bit of movement.”
However, Rubio warned that the window won’t be open forever, and Washington is keeping another option on the table.
“The latest signs are encouraging, but I’m not popping champagne yet,” Rubio said Friday.
“I don’t want to exaggerate it, but there’s been a little bit of movement, and that’s good,” he said, while stressing he doesn’t “want to be overly optimistic.”
Behind the scenes, Pakistan is again stepping into the middle.
As Islamabad seeks to keep the discussions going, Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, identified by security sources as a major intermediary between Washington and Tehran, is heading to Tehran for consultations with Iranian officials.
Rubio’s measured tone carries a stark red line: Iran’s efforts to impose what it terms a “tolling system” in the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio called the notion a nonstarter, saying it would make diplomacy difficult and would reach well beyond the region.
“No one in the world is in favor of the tolling system,” Rubio said. “It can’t happen. It would be unacceptable.”
“It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that. So it’s a threat to the world if they were trying to do that, and it’s completely illegal,” Rubio added.
The pressure point remains the Strait of Hormuz.
The small river transports almost a fifth of global oil exports, and disruptions have unsettled markets and governments with shipments slowed and costs rising. Iran claims ownership over the strait and says it will only completely reopen it if it can charge commercial vessels to pass through.
“If Tehran refuses to reopen the route, the US and its partners can’t just sit around and hope for the best,” Rubio added. “If Iran keeps digging in, Washington has to have a Plan B,” he warned.
The greater region is tense as well. Israeli strikes have killed more than 3,100 people in Lebanon since March 2, as combat with Iran-backed Hezbollah has persisted despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire imposed in mid-April, Lebanon’s health ministry said Friday.
Lebanon and Israel have had discussions in Washington, with another session anticipated in June, but Hezbollah has rejected the truce and opposes the meetings.
Diplomatically, the European Union on Friday also attempted to broaden its framework of sanctions on Iran to go after those behind the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, declaring the blockade “contrary to international law.”
The EU said the move would mean travel bans and asset freezes, and limits on EU citizens and companies making cash available to those identified.
Fox News anchor Bret Baier said President Trump told him he was “cautiously optimistic” about the United States reaching a deal with Iran.
“We’re in the middle of this — what the president is looking at on this proposal, this one-pager, this memorandum of understanding, I talked to him today, and there was this sense of optimism, not — I would say cautious optimism that they maybe get to a deal within a week,” Baier said on “America Reports.”
“However, at the same time, you have the United Nations, Iran has introduced a new mechanism, the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, to regulate maritime transit through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. That’s according to Iranian state media,” Baier added.
“Under the system, vessels intending to pass through the strait will receive guidance from an official email address outlining the rules for transit. Ships are required to comply with the framework and obtain prior authorization before crossing the waterway.’ That doesn’t seem like that’s going to fly,” Baier continued.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
