Marco Rubio Says U.S. Is Not Close to an Iran Deal and Calls Tehran’s Demands ‘Outrageous and Ridiculous’
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed Iran’s demands in negotiations to end the war as “outrageous and ridiculous,” warning that Washington and Tehran are nowhere near a diplomatic breakthrough even as he defended President Donald Trump’s decision to launch the conflict despite its political consequences.
Speaking to reporters at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida on Sunday, November 8, before departing for a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Paris, Rubio said several countries were exploring possible solutions with Tehran, but he had no progress to report.
“I wouldn’t say we’re on the verge of a breakthrough,” he said, adding that the Iranian demands were “not just unacceptable but, in some cases, outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.”
Rubio insisted that Trump preferred diplomacy but acknowledged its limits. “Sometimes that’s not possible, unfortunately. But if there’s a chance to do it, we’ll explore it.”
Iran has demanded an end to the U.S. naval blockade of its ports, sanctions relief, access to frozen assets, compensation for war damage and an end to regional hostilities, including Israeli operations in Lebanon. Rubio did not specify which demands he considered particularly objectionable.
The secretary of state also defended the war against Iran when questioned about Vice President JD Vance’s criticism of its electoral consequences following the Republicans’ November 3 midterm defeat.
Rubio said Trump had identified and addressed what he regarded as a longstanding threat to American security, arguing that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons justified difficult decisions.
“Sometimes when you do the right thing, I don’t know if it’s popular or not, but it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “Presidents are elected to do the hard things — sometimes difficult things, but necessary things.”
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.
Asked about further American military action, Rubio described U.S. operations as defensive and warned that Washington would respond to threats against its forces or commercial shipping.
“If there’s a clear and present threat to shipping or to our forces in the region, we have a right to defend ourselves,” he said.
His comments followed Trump’s statement that renewed strikes on Iran were highly unlikely if negotiations produced a strong agreement, although the president also warned of potential attacks on Iranian infrastructure if fighting resumed.
Rubio declined to assess the Republican election defeat directly, describing divided government as a normal feature of American democracy.
“It is not uncommon to have a division of power in this country,” he said. “We’ve seen elections going one direction and, a couple years later, go another. It’s just a feature of our system.”