The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, has assured that it is possible that in the next few hours there will be “good news” about the Strait of Hormuz. Even so, he has warned that they would not be a definitive resolution. “We have made some progress in the last 48 hours on a scheme that, if successful, could leave us not only with a completely open strait,” he said from New Delhi.
According to Rubio, these negotiations refer to “an open strait without tolls” and that the draft agreement also contemplates “some of the key points that underpinned Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions in the past.” However, the final announcement will fall to the president of the United States, Donald Trump.
Although the progress is being “significant”, Rubio has clarified that it is simply a transition process, but not the end. “I think there is good news on that front, but not definitive (…) We still have work to do,” he indicated. In addition, he has attacked Iran, which he has warned that it is not “the owner” of the Strait of Hormuz.
Progressive opening of Hormuz, end of sanctions and nothing on the nuclear issue
Iranian media have stated that the agreement provides for the temporary suspension of oil sanctions against Tehran, the partial release of Iranian funds and the progressive opening of Hormuz. The Tasnim agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guard, has reported that the understanding document that both parties affirmed yesterday that they are finalizing prioritizes the end of the war.
The agreement would include the “gradual recovery of the volume of maritime traffic existing before the war” in the Strait of Hormuz, blocked since February 28. “What the possible agreement would contemplate would not be a complete return to war, but only the recovery of the volume of ship traffic that existed before the conflict,” he noted.
For its part, the Fars agency has stated, citing anonymous sources, that the draft agreement does not include any clause on Iranian nuclear commitments, because all issues related to the nuclear program would have been postponed to negotiations 60 days after the signing of the peace agreement.
Washington has met the objectives of Epic Fury
Thus, according to the head of American diplomacy, the US objective is to find a negotiated solution, but that the problem “will be resolved one way or another,” he stated. Rubio has also defended that his country has met the objectives of Operation Epic Fury.
“We were going to destroy their navy, which we have done; we were going to significantly reduce their ability to launch ballistic missiles (…) and we have achieved that objective; and we were going to damage their defense industrial base (…) We have achieved that too,” he listed.
Accuses Iran of being “the main sponsor of terrorism in the world”
In addition, he has accused Iran of being “the main sponsor of terrorism in the world” and of financing groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas and of organizing assassinations and assassination attempts in various countries. “We are talking about one of the most vile regimes on the face of the earth and in modern history,” he declared.
Hours earlier, Trump had said that the United States and Iran are negotiating “the final aspects and details” of a peace agreement, in addition to “many other elements, the Strait of Hormuz will be opened.” The US president confirmed that he had had “a productive conversation” with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain.
