Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that negotiations to end the conflict with Iran are an "ongoing and fluid process" and that some progress has been made.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said earlier at a Cabinet meeting that the Trump administration shared a 15-point peace proposal with Iran this week through Pakistani officials and described the talks as "strong and productive."
Rubio spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before heading for Europe to meet with Group of Seven foreign ministers in France.
He said he was encouraged by progress in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route that Iran has restricted since the conflict began Feb. 28.
Asked whether he would urge G7 countries to help keep the strait open, Rubio said it would be in their interest.
"Well, it's in their interest to help," he said.
"I mean, the other countries get far more of their fuel from there than we do. ... It's in their national interest.
"It could be open tomorrow if Iran stops threatening global shipping, which is an outrage and a violation of international law.
"For all these countries that care about international law, they should be doing something about it," Rubio said.
He did not provide details on who is representing Iran in negotiations with the White House.
"There are intermediary countries that are passing messages and progress has been made," he said. "Some concrete progress has been made, as you've seen and has been documented already.
"There's a growing amount of energy that's been flowing through the strait, not as much as should be flowing, but some of it has picked up.
"So again, there's been some progress in regard to the exchange of messages, but that's an ongoing and fluid process and not one we're going to negotiate or talk about in the media," Rubio said.
Iran has issued several demands, including sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, a halt to military operations by Israel and the United States, and repayment for costs incurred during the conflict.
At the Cabinet meeting, President Donald Trump said Iranian officials gave the United States a "present" by allowing 10 oil tankers to pass through the strait.
Iranian counterstrikes on U.S. military bases and energy infrastructure in the region have disrupted oil flows through the strait, contributing to volatility in global energy markets.
Brent crude was trading at about $107 a barrel Thursday, while U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate was at about $94 a barrel.
Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social that Iranian negotiators are "begging" the U.S. to make a deal.
"Which they should be doing since they have been militarily obliterated, with zero chance of a comeback, and yet they publicly state that they are only 'looking at our proposal,'" Trump wrote. "WRONG!!! They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won't be pretty!"
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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