US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington is expecting a response from Iran on renewed negotiations over the ongoing conflict, Anadolu Agency reports.
“We should know something today. We’re expecting a response from them. We’ll see what the response entails. The hope is that something that it can put us into a serious process of negotiation,” Rubio told reporters during his visit to Rome, where he met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Referring to reports of Iranian plans to establish an agency to control traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio said it would be problematic and unacceptable.
He urged other countries to not normalize Iran controlling an international waterway, warning that this would set an precedent and get repeated in other places by other countries.
On the recent exchange of weapons fire with Iran, Rubio claimed that what the world saw was distinct from Operation Epic Fury, the US label for their war on Iran starting on Feb. 28.
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“What you saw yesterday was US destroyers moving through international waters being fired upon by the Iranians, and the US responded defensively to protect itself,” he said.
He warned that if US is fired on by a drone or a missile, then it will respond and “knock out whatever it is that launched that missile.”
“If they threaten Americans, they’re gonna get blown up … If you are a missile launching guy and you’re sitting there, and you fire a missile at the United States, and we saw you fired, we’re gonna hit you,” Rubio added.
On the situation in war-torn Sudan, Rubio said they have focused on establishing a humanitarian ceasefire that allows them to provide aid to people suffering in the region.
“In addition to the humanitarian corridors and the humanitarian sites, we need to bring this conflict to an end,” he added
Rubio said the way to bring the conflict to an end is for the countries and the parties who are supporting the fighting elements there to force them toward a peace deal.
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