U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Washington is conducting negotiations with the more pragmatic elements within Iran's political system, while cautioning that hardline clerics still control the regime's security and military apparatus. His remarks, reported by Israeli media, reinforce the administration's distinction between Iran's political and security arms.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that the United States is negotiating with Iran's pragmatic political figures, but that radical clerics still hold the reins of power in Tehran.
"We are negotiating with the pragmatists of Iran, but the force is still in the hands of radical clerics," Rubio said, according to Israeli media reports.
The remarks echo statements Rubio made earlier on Thursday, when he described Iran's political branches as having "more flexible" people with whom Washington is talking, while stressing that the system remains under the direction of radical clerics. As The Zioneer reported at 14:45 and 14:41 Jerusalem time, Rubio has been drawing a sharp line between Iran's political apparatus, where he sees potential interlocutors, and its security and ideological leadership, which he says has not changed.
The comments come amid ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations, following a 60-day framework agreed in Switzerland. Rubio's latest framing reinforces the administration's dual-track approach of diplomacy with Iran's political representatives paired with military pressure against its militant infrastructure. Previous rounds of talks have involved senior American and Iranian officials meeting face-to-face, as The Zioneer reported on June 21.
Rubio's remarks did not specify the status or progress of the current talks, nor offer a timeline for a potential breakthrough.
2 developments
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- DevelopingUS officials hold face-to-face talks with Iranian regime in new round of negotiations
- DevelopingRubio tells Iran: decide if you are a state or a revolutionary movement
- StrongRubio says Lebanon diplomacy separate from Iran talks
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