According to a report by Anadolu Agency on Monday, April 27, 2026, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Iran appears “serious” about reaching an agreement with Washington, but stressed that any deal must firmly block Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Rubio said Iran is facing growing pressure at home and abroad.
“I think they are serious about getting themselves out of the mess that they’re in,” he said.
He noted that Iran’s economic situation continues to deteriorate, citing inflation, wage payment challenges, and the ongoing impact of international sanctions.
“All the problems that Iran had before the start of this conflict are still in place, and most of them are worse,” Rubio added.
Rubio insisted that any agreement must include strict guarantees. “We have to ensure that any deal that is made definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,” he said.
His comments follow reports that Iran has proposed reopening the Strait of Hormuz as part of a wider diplomatic arrangement, while delaying detailed nuclear negotiations.
Responding to Tehran’s position on the strategic waterway, Rubio rejected the idea of conditional access. “Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize a system where Iran decides who uses it and at what cost,” he said.
Iran and the United States previously held talks in Islamabad on April 11, which ended without a breakthrough after weeks of escalating tensions. The discussions followed a temporary ceasefire mediated by Pakistan earlier in the month, later extended by US President Donald Trump.
Diplomatic efforts are ongoing to arrange further negotiations, with major sticking points including the Strait of Hormuz, US sanctions on Iranian ports, and Tehran’s nuclear programme.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, carrying about 20 percent of global oil shipments daily, with instability in the region continuing to affect international energy and shipping markets…Read_More…