Rubio assures Gulf allies US will protect interests in Iran peace talks
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday assured Gulf allies that Washington would protect their interests as it pursues a final settlement with Iran. President Donald Trump said talks were progressing well, while requesting nearly $88 billion in supplemental funding for the Pentagon after Congress passed a resolution urging an end to hostilities.
By FRANCE 24
At odds on Hormuz
Tehran, however, has already portrayed the deal as a victory.
Its top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that the agreement, reached with the help of Pakistani mediation, was "the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation."
"That is why the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding became a declaration of America's defeat," he said.
Rubio and Pakistan said technical talks between the United States and Iran were expected to resume in the coming days following a first round in Switzerland.
Rubio also insisted on Wednesday that the United States was committed to preserving the pre-war status quo of toll-free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a substantial proportion of global oil and gas shipments.
"I know of no country on the planet that supports tolling or fees for the use of the strait," he said in Kuwait.
In Washington, Trump said imposing any fees on shipping would be "unacceptable."
Iran, however, has repeatedly said it intends to retain control over the strait, along with Oman, and charge what it calls maritime service fees for crossing it.
Qatar's prime minister, meanwhile, travelled to Oman to initiate talks on the strait between the Gulf states, Iraq and Iran, a diplomat told AFP.
The diplomat said Gulf countries would push for no-charge freedom of navigation, while Iran was expected to ask for an environmental and security service fee.
Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, another diplomat said separate talks on reconciliation between Gulf countries and Iran were expected to be held in Saudi Arabia, though they did not specify a date.
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'Like the phoenix'
Iran's Ghalibaf reiterated Wednesday that peace in Lebanon, which was drawn into the war when Tehran-backed Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel, was a fundamental pillar of reaching a definitive agreement with the United States.
"For us, the ceasefire in Lebanon has been and is as important as the ceasefire in Iran," he said.
The violence in Lebanon has ebbed in recent days but Hezbollah accused Israel of a "blatant" truce violation on Wednesday after an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle killed two people in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military said it targeted "two armed Hezbollah terrorists" and vowed to "continue to operate to remove immediate threats."
Under US pressure, Lebanese officials began direct talks in April with Israel in Washington, with Lebanese authorities seeking to separate the negotiations from the US-Iran deal.
In the beachside Lebanese city of Tyre, 40-year-old Hussein Hassan was welcoming customers to his barbershop, despite one of its walls being cracked and its glass facade blown away in Israeli strikes.
Tyre residents "love life and work. We shake off the dust and rise up again like the phoenix," he said.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)