Marco Rubio says ‘significant progress’ made in US-Iran talks to end war

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio says “significant progress” has been made in talks to end the US-Israeli war on Iran, hours after President Donald Trump claimed that a memorandum of understanding to end the fighting was “largely negotiated”. Rubio, who is on his first official visit to India, said on Sunday that the emerging deal would address Trump’s concerns about the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has largely blocked since the US and Israel launched their war on February 28. Recommended Stories list of 3 items end of list “Some progress has been made, significant progress, although not final progress has been made,” Rubio told reporters in New Delhi. “I do think perhaps there is the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news,” he said. The agreement would also start a “process that can ultimately leave us where the president wants us to be, and that is a world that no longer has to fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon”, Rubio added. Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said that under a potential memorandum of understanding, the number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz would return to pre-war levels within weeks. “If the agreement is reached, the Strait of Hormuz will not fully return to its pre-war status; instead, the number of ships allowed to pass would be restored to pre-war levels within 30 days,” Tasnim reported. …