US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted that a major breakthrough could soon emerge in ongoing talks related to Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. He made the remarks during a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi after delegation-level bilateral discussions.
Rubio said negotiations linked to a possible peace arrangement were continuing and suggested that positive developments could arrive very soon.
“I do think perhaps there is the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news,” he said.
The US Secretary of State said the proposed agreement could help reduce tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important maritime route that Iran largely blocked after the joint US-Israel attacks.
According to Rubio, the developing arrangement could also begin “a process that can ultimately leave us where the president wants us to be, and that is a world that no longer has to fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon”.
Jaishankar Stresses Stability And Maritime Security
As tensions continue across West Asia following the outbreak of conflict in February, Jaishankar highlighted India’s balanced diplomatic approach in the region. He said India maintains strong ties with the United States, Iran, Israel, and Gulf nations while carefully protecting its strategic interests.
“India would be one of the very few countries who has very good relations, very strong relations with the United States, with Israel, with Iran, and with the Gulf countries. So we have real interest there. For us, the challenge in this situation is how to maintain all these relationships, how to protect our equities, how to advance our interests. We don’t look at it as a zero-sum game. We have to manage and take care of all these accounts,” Jaishankar said.
He added that India’s key priorities in the region remain peace, regional stability, the safety of the Indian diaspora, and uninterrupted maritime trade.
“I would say there are some general principles by which we would approach this region. Obviously, we want peace and stability in the region. For us, the welfare, the well-being of the diaspora is crucial. We want to see energy prices go down because we are a very big importer of energy, and much of it comes from that region. As I stated in my remarks, we are very much in favour of safe and unimpeded maritime commerce through the region.”
Trump Says Peace Deal Mostly Finalised
Earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed that a peace agreement involving Iran had been “largely negotiated” after talks with Israel and regional partners.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said discussions were continuing over final details before any official announcement.
Calling the proposed arrangement a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE”, Trump said the agreement would lead to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
However, Iran rejected parts of Trump’s statement and insisted that Tehran would continue controlling the strategic waterway.
Reports suggested Iran had only agreed to restore shipping traffic to levels seen before the war. Officials also clarified that this “in no way means a return to free passage” that existed before the conflict began.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, also known as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, dismissed Trump’s remarks as “propaganda”, according to Fars news agency.