U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Italy / Public domain / Archive 2025 G7 group photograph; not Sunday’s remarks
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that talks with Iran had not been very productive, criticizing Tehran’s demands while saying Washington would still explore a diplomatic opening if one emerged.
“Right now it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic,” Rubio told reporters ahead of the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris.
Rubio said he would not describe the negotiations as being on the verge of a breakthrough. He said President Donald Trump preferred a diplomatic solution and that the administration would explore an opportunity to reach one, while acknowledging that diplomacy was not always possible.
The comments stopped short of announcing that talks had ended or setting a deadline for an agreement.
Asked about potential military action, Rubio defended the United States’ right to respond to threats against its forces and shipping in the region. “The U.S. acts defensively. If there is a threat to our forces in the region, we will act against those,” Rubio said in remarks posted by the State Department. His remarks were a statement of the administration’s position, rather than an announcement of a new attack.
Rubio also defended the war against Iran as necessary even if it was unpopular. He said presidents were elected to make difficult decisions and argued that Trump had acted against a threat that previous presidents had not addressed.
His criticism came as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed Tehran’s conditional two-day proposal concerning the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi said the offer depended on Washington meeting Iran’s requirements, including an end to war on all fronts. Neither statement announced an agreement or a change in access to the waterway.
The State Department’s travel announcement said Rubio would visit Paris November 8-10 for the G7 meeting and engagements with his counterparts.
JBizNews Desk | Washington
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