US ‘completely aligned’ with Gulf partners on Iran deal, says Rubio

Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said America’s Gulf partners remain confident in Washington’s security commitments and pledged that the United States would not pursue any agreement with Iran that undermines the security of its longstanding regional allies.

Speaking to reporters at Kuwait International Airport after meetings in the Gulf on Wednesday (local time), Rubio said the US security relationship with Gulf states was built on decades of cooperation and a permanent military presence rather than promises alone.

“So we don’t… We have existing relationships with these countries that go back many, many decades. We have troop presence in these countries. We have assets in these countries,” Rubio said.

“I didn’t sense any doubts about our security assurances, because they’re real. They’re not promises; they’re actual. They exist.”

Rubio said Washington would remain closely aligned with Gulf partners as negotiations with Iran continue following the memorandum of understanding reached in Switzerland.

“We’re going to be completely aligned with our partners in the Gulf,” he said.

“We’re not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies, our longstanding allies in the region.”

Responding to questions about reports that Gulf countries may discuss an Iranian proposal to introduce a payment mechanism for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio dismissed the idea.

“I think the whole world will be against any mechanism that charges money to use an international waterway,” he said.

“When we mean open the straits, we mean open the straits free, and international waterways.”

Rubio also defended the administration’s decision to temporarily waive certain oil sanctions on Iran, describing it as part of a negotiated process.

“This is a temporary measure. It’s for 60 days,” he said.

“If they don’t live up to those commitments, the President has a lot of options at his disposal, including… reversing these sanctions.”

He repeatedly stressed that Tehran must honour commitments made during negotiations in Switzerland.

“They made very straight-up commitments in Switzerland,” Rubio said.

“If they do, we’ll keep moving forward. If not, the President will have options at his disposal.”

Asked when international nuclear inspectors should be allowed back into Iran, Rubio replied: “As soon as possible.”

“That’s a commitment they made, and it’s one they need to keep.”

Rubio said technical negotiations would resume next week, with specialist working groups handling issues such as sanctions and nuclear matters.

“The technical level will be – there’s individuals from the State Department that will be involved in those talks, along with people from the Department of Energy and so forth,” he said.

On reports suggesting Israel wanted to undermine the current memorandum of understanding with Iran, Rubio rejected the claim outright.

“I don’t know where you’re getting that stuff from. We’re working on this. The Israelis exactly know what we’re working on,” he said.

“Everybody understands what the President’s red lines and positions are on this.”

Rubio also addressed ongoing US-mediated talks involving Israel and Lebanon. He said the objective was to strengthen the authority of the Lebanese Government and Armed Forces so they could gradually assume control of areas now affected by conflict with Hezbollah.

“We want to see a Lebanon that’s in the control of their legitimate government,” Rubio said, adding that “this is not going to happen overnight.”

The Secretary said the United States would continue to prioritise the release of wrongfully detained Americans worldwide and reaffirmed support for diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Sudan through a ceasefire, humanitarian access and a lasting peace.

IANS