US’s Rubio says Iran is ‘serious’ about making a deal

Iran is “serious” about reaching a deal with the US, but any agreement must prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says.

“I think they are serious about getting themselves out of the mess that they’re in,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News.

He pointed to Iran’s worsening economic conditions, including inflation, difficulties paying wages, as well as ongoing sanctions, saying: “All the problems that Iran had before the start of this conflict are still in place, and most of them are worse.”

“We have to ensure that any deal that is made… definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,” he added.

Iran and the US held talks in Islamabad on April 11 but failed to reach an agreement to end the war that began on February 28.

The negotiations followed a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan on April 8, which was later extended.