As tensions over the US-Iran conflict continue to escalate with the US striking a military ground control station on Iran’s Qeshm Island, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers that the war is effectively winding down, even as questions mount over the stability of a fragile ceasefire and the broader regional fallout.
Facing Congress for the first time since the conflict began, Rubio defended the administration’s handling of the crisis, arguing that Iran’s military capabilities have been “significantly degraded” and suggesting that Tehran is now more open to negotiations over its nuclear program. He said discussions that were previously off the table are now being considered, though he cautioned that a final agreement could still take months.
“They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago or a year ago they were refusing to even mention,” Rubio told lawmakers.
His testimony came amid conflicting signals about the status of diplomatic talks. Just a day earlier, the ceasefire appeared close to collapse after Iranian officials suggested they might halt engagement with Washington over Israel’s ongoing military actions in Lebanon.
On social media, President Donald Trump rejected claims that negotiations had broken down, insisting that discussions with Iran were still ongoing. “Where they lead, one never knows,” he wrote, emphasizing that any deal would depend on internal political constraints within Iran’s leadership structure.
Meanwhile, Israeli operations continued in southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced pressure from Washington and reportedly held back from expanding strikes into Beirut, even as tensions with Hezbollah remain high.
Iranian state media, however, disputed U.S. claims of active negotiations, saying there had been no direct communication between Tehran and Washington in several days.
Rubio acknowledged that diplomatic exchanges in such crises often move slowly, noting that it can take several days for responses to cycle through competing political authorities on both sides.
As the situation develops, uncertainty remains over whether the ceasefire will hold or whether the region is heading toward renewed escalation.
Separately, Rubio said that he is optimistic about the potential for a resumption in nuclear talks with Iran despite a shaky ceasefire in the war that is looking increasingly in doubt.
Rubio’s optimism ran counter to pessimistic reports from two semiofficial Iranian news agencies that Iran has stopped communicating with mediators after Israel threatened to bomb Beirut as it fights the Hezbollah group. President Donald Trump disputed that Iran has cut off communication with mediators, calling the Iranian reports “false and erroneous.”
Rubio’s wide-ranging testimony was met with fierce objections from Democrats, including tough questions about the status of US foreign assistance for global health crises such as an Ebola outbreak in Africa. Rubio insisted the dismantlement of the U.S. Agency for International Development had not affected Washington’s ability to assist with global humanitarian responses.
Senator Chris Van Hollen sharply criticized Rubio and Trump for foreign aid cuts and military intervention, arguing the US had effectively entered the conflict on Israel’s behalf.
