Secretary of State Marco Rubio laid out President Donald Trump's strategy amid peace negotiations with Iran, saying the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is only a "prerequisite" for talks.
Rubio made the remarks during an appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, telling lawmakers that Iran must end its belligerence in the region.
"They have to announce, very clearly, the straits are now open, we're not charging a toll, we'll help remove the mines that they put in there, and they will not fire on ships," Rubio said.
"In addition to the straits, that's the predicate that opens the door to phase two. Phase two is they have to commit to very specific negotiations on highly enriched--the disposition of highly enriched uranium that still is buried deep in a mountain somewhere," he continued, adding that Iran would have to agree to long-term limitations on its nuclear program.
President Donald Trump denied reports that the U.S. and Iran are no longer engaged in peace talks on Tuesday.
Trump, writing on his Truth Social account, saying conversations with Iran continued through the weekend and into this week.
"Fake News Reports that the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the U.S.A., stopped speaking a few days ago are false and erroneous. The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today," Trump wrote.
"Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, 'It’s time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You’ve been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer!'" he added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the U.S. has not made an attempt to arm Iranian civilians in hopes to overthrow their government amid conflict in the Middle East.
Rubio made the statement during an exchange with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearings.
Cruz asked Rubio directly about whether arming civilians had been considered.
"I'm not aware of any program to arm civilians in Iran to overthrow their government. I mean there may be other countries doing it or other elements, but certainly not the U.S. government," Rubio responded.
{{#rendered}}Ret. Gen. Charles Wald joined Fox News on Tuesday to discuss Hezbollah's role as an Iranian proxy amid peace talks.
Wald emphasized that Israel must defend itself and argued the U.S. should support its efforts. Iran has demanded that Israel halt its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon as part of its ceasefire with the U.S.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered new details on the peace negotiations with Iran during his appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.
Rubio says that Iran would have to offer major concessions regarding its nuclear program in order to expect any sanctions relief from the U.S., including the physical removal of existing highly-enriched uranium.
"Everything that's been discussed with them is that any sanctions relief, now, remember...There's international sanctions, there's congressional sanctions, there's executive sanctions. So some we can release and some we cannot. But any sanctions relief is condition based, which means it has to be in return for the reason why those sanctions were put in place in the first place, which is their nuclear program," Rubio said.
"So yeah, look, Iran is being sanctioned because they enrich uranium. Iran is being sanctioned because they have highly enriched uranium. Iran is being sanctioned because of their nuclear activities. If they agree to give up those things, there will be sanctions relief associated with their commitment and compliance," he added.
Chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst provided new details on President Donald Trump's efforts to de-escalate Middle East tensions and keep negotiations with Iran on track Tuesday.
Yingst says Trump had a heated phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, resulting in a drawdown of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
{{#rendered}}Secretary of State Marco Rubio says division and dysfunction within the Iranian regime are the reason behind the stop-and-go nature of the ongoing peace talks.
Rubio, speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations committee, told lawmakers that it often takes up to five days just to hear a response from the Iranian regime.
He said this is due in part to logistical reasons and communications difficulty within Iran, but also due to internal divisions.
The officials sent to represent Iran at the talks, such as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, have to defer to authorities in Tehran before agreeing to any aspect of a deal.
"You ultimately are negotiating with people who then have to negotiate within their own system to see what they're allowed to give and what they're allowed to agree to," Rubio said.
Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz joined Fox News on Tuesday and analyzed President Donald Trump's demands amid the Iran conflict and the current geopolitical climate.
Dubowitz said Trump holds an advantage in the talks thanks to Iran's devastated economy, adding that Iran's "economic extortion" in the Strait of Hormuz can't continue.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called on President Donald Trump to enforce consequences on Iran for supporting terrorist organizations on Tuesday.
Graham wrote in a post on X that any deal Trump makes with Tehran should include measures imposing heavy sanctions if the country "provides future support to terrorist organizations."
Iran has long supported terrorist proxy groups throughout the Middle East, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas in Gaza.
"In Trump 1, it was a clearly stated policy that Iran should not be allowed to continue to support terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah without consequences," Graham wrote on X.
"I would urge Trump 2 to continue that policy. Any deal that does not punish Iran in the future for supporting groups like Hezbollah — whose stated goal is to destroy Israel and control Lebanon through force of arms — would be a tremendous missed opportunity. Iran is the weakest they’ve ever been since 1979, but they can still project power through Hezbollah and other proxies. Iran’s ability to generate future October 7-style attacks are not connected to their nuclear program, but rather their unending desire to disrupt the region and eventually destroy Israel through their proxies," the senator continued.
"ANY DEAL WITH IRAN MUST CLEARLY STATE THAT IF IRAN PROVIDES FUTURE SUPPORT TO TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS LIKE HEZBOLLAH, IT WILL RESULT IN CRIPPLING SANCTIONS AND OTHER PUNITIVE MEASURES," he added.
{{#rendered}}Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched his opening statement as he sat down before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.
Rubio is expected to face stiff questioning from Democrats regarding all aspects of President Donald Trump's foreign policy, from his bickering with NATO to his launching of a war in Iran.
Ranking committee member Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., criticized the State Department for ignoring various letters and questions from Senate Democrats in her opening statement. She also highlighted that Trump launched the war in Iran without congressional approval.
Former CENTCOM deputy commander Ret. Vice Admiral Robert Harward joined Fox News on Tuesday and assessed the likelihood of the U.S. and Iran reaching a peace deal.
Harward warned that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is likely to spoil any effort to negotiate an acceptable agreement.
Bahrain's government announced a ban on its citizens from traveling to Iraq and Iran on Tuesday.
The nation's Interior Ministry warned that legal action would be pursued against any citizens who violate the directive.
Ministry officials cited the “ongoing tension in the current security situation" as backing for the order.
{{#rendered}}US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker joined Fox News on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing peace talks with Iran, stating that time and leverage favor the United States.
Whitaker emphasized that President Donald Trump's goal is to arrive at a sustainable deal that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
While talks have been slow to show progress, Whitaker argued Iran has no choice but to make a deal given the severe damage the country has suffered in recent weeks.
President Donald Trump reportedly "steamrolled" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a heated call Monday over Israel's military operations in Lebanon.
According to Axios, citing officials, Trump expressed frustration over Israel's actions against Hezbollah, saying the increased pressure could complicate negotiations with Iran.
Summarizing Trump's remarks to Netanyahu, a U.S. official reportedly said the president said: "You're f---ing crazy. You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your a--. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this."
A second source said Trump was "pissed" and at one point yelled at Netanyahu: "What the f--- are you doing?" Another source told the outlet Trump had "steamrolled" Netanyahu during the call.
The call between the two leaders came after Iran threatened to end negotiations with the U.S. over Israel's actions in Lebanon.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.
Fox News senior strategic analyst Ret. Gen. Jack Keane joined Fox News' "Hannity" to discuss Iran’s strategy to delay nuclear deal negotiations.
Keane argued that the regime in Tehran is dragging their feet to reach the U.S. midterm elections, which may force President Donald Trump's administration to accept a less favorable deal.
{{#rendered}}Secretary of State Marco Rubio will appear before Congress on Tuesday for the first time since the Iran war began.
The former Republican senator will sit before House and Senate committees on both Tuesday and Wednesday to make the State Department’s annual budget request. Democrats are expected to grill Rubio on the war, particularly President Donald Trump's lack of congressional approval for the conflict.
Rubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday. He will be back at the Capitol on Wednesday to appear before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and equivalent Senate Appropriations subcommittee.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump said Monday that he persuaded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call off striking Beirut, saying the Israeli leader "turned his troops around" after their conversation.
“I had a conversation with Bibi Netanyahu today, asking him not to conduct a major raid on Beirut, Lebanon,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“He turned his troops around. Thank you, Bibi!” he added.
“I also had a conversation with representatives of the leaders of Hezbollah, and they agreed to stop shooting at Israel and its soldiers,” Trump added before stating that “Israel agreed to stop shooting at them. Let’s see how long that lasts. Hopefully, it will be for eternity!” he said.
Trump’s remarks came after Netanyahu said Israel would hit “terror targets” in Beirut if Hezbollah did not stop attacking Israel.
He also shared a post on X stating that the Israeli military would continue operations in southern Lebanon.
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