WASHINGTON, June 2 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that a peace deal between Washington and Tehran is within reach and that Iran has agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear program.
Rubio made the remarks during a hearing before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"Now we are in talks," he said. "There is the prospect before us, which could happen today, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen next week, that for the first time, certainly in my memory, they have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program."
He said that a peace agreement as the first phase of the talks could be reached soon, which would include Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz without imposing tolls, removing naval mines and ceasing attacks on ships.
He repeated U.S. President Donald Trump's position that Iran would not receive sanctions relief in exchange for reopening the strait.
Phase two would require Iran to commit to disposing of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and to negotiate "severe and long-term limitations, and or cancellation of enrichment activity," Rubio said, admitting it could take months.
Rubio's comments, however, appeared to contrast with reports from Iranian and U.S. media suggesting that negotiations remain deadlocked. A report by The Guardian on Tuesday said Tehran had announced it was suspending peace negotiations and moving to fully close the Strait of Hormuz.
Negotiations between Iran and the United States on a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict have stalled, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency reported Tuesday.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a weekly press conference on Monday that "new and contradictory" U.S. demands had prolonged negotiations. Iranian media reported Tuesday that Tehran was still reviewing the latest U.S. proposal. ■