Washington, DC — As tensions in West Asia persist, Senator Marco Rubio said Pakistani officials are due in Tehran today and expressed cautious hope that the visit could advance diplomatic efforts between Iran and the United States.
Speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Rubio said he hopes the meetings in Tehran will “advance this further.” He emphasized the administration’s aim of securing a solid agreement: “The President’s preference is to do a good deal, that’s his preference. It’s always been his preference. If we can get a good deal done, that would be great.”
Rubio also warned that the US is prepared to pursue other options if talks fail: “But if we can’t get a good deal, the President has been clear — he has other options. I’m not going to elaborate on what those are, but everybody knows what those are.” He tempered optimism with caution: “There are some good signs, but I don’t want to be overly optimistic as well, so let’s see what happens over the next few days.”
Reports say Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir is likely to arrive in Tehran as part of ongoing mediation efforts. ISNA reported Munir’s trip is intended to continue consultations between Pakistani and Iranian officials as Pakistan mediates exchanges with Washington. Earlier this week Pakistani Interior Minister Syed Mohsen Naqvi visited Tehran for talks and met with Iran’s interior minister and president. ISNA said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed regional developments, the status of indirect talks with the US, and the diplomatic process.
Tehran has said it received a proposal from the American side through Pakistani mediators. Iran’s foreign ministry indicated Pakistan continues to relay messages between Tehran and Washington, with several rounds of communication reportedly based on Iran’s original 14-point framework.
The diplomatic push follows firm statements from US leaders. At Joint Base Andrews, President Trump warned Tehran it must show intent to reach a deal: “It’s right on the borderline, believe me. If we don’t get the right answers, it goes very quickly. We’re all ready to go. We have to get the right answers — it would have to be a complete 100 per cent good answers.”
Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor, delivered a harsher warning on Fox News, saying Iran “has a choice to make: they can either agree to a piece of paper that is satisfactory to the United States, or they can face punishment from our military the likes of which have not been seen in modern history.”
Amid these fraught exchanges, Reuters quoted two Iranian sources saying Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile “should not leave the country,” rejecting President Trump’s demand in the talks.
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