U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration is pursuing two parallel tracks in its negotiations with Iran: a long-term agreement to eliminate Tehran's nuclear ambitions and a shorter-term arrangement to ensure safe maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking about the ongoing diplomatic efforts, Rubio stressed that the administration's primary objective remains preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
"I think there's two things to talk about when there's a deal," Rubio said. "There's the big deal, which is the one that has to do with their nuclear ambitions."
He reiterated President Donald Trump's longstanding position on the issue.
"They can never have a nuclear weapon. The President's been clear about that. So the denuclearization of Iran is the ultimate deal," Rubio stated.
At the same time, Rubio said the administration is also focused on securing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
"I think the immediate deal, the one that you see a lot of focus on, is the Straits," he said. "There are ships moving through the Straits. There's oil moving right now through the Straits, and the Straits are open."
According to Rubio, the United States is participating in negotiations involving Oman and Iran aimed at increasing the safety of commercial shipping in the area while broader nuclear talks continue.
"I think that there's a conversation and a negotiation that we are involved in between Oman and Iran on how more ships can be able to go through there safely in the short term as we move towards these longer-term talks about denuclearization," he said.
Rubio noted that the discussions have produced encouraging developments, although no final agreement has yet been reached, saying that "there's been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We're hoping that will happen very shortly."