Iran's Esmaeil Baghaei says talks require end to sanctions and fighting

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that talks with Iran had made little progress and called some Iranian demands "outrageous and ridiculous" after over eight months of war.

Speaking to reporters in Florida on Sunday evening, Rubio described Iran's demands as unacceptable and, in some instances, unrealistic. "I wouldn't say we're on the verge of a breakthrough," he said before leaving for a Group of Seven foreign ministers' meeting in Paris.

The governments have outlined different terms. Washington wants Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and make nuclear concessions, while Tehran has said peace talks require an end to the U.S. naval blockade of its Persian Gulf ports and the lifting of sanctions.

Rubio did not say which demands he meant, Bloomberg reported via The Straits Times. Ministers at the Paris meeting will discuss the war.

Rubio said several countries were still offering Iran different ideas. "The president would always prefer to solve this and every problem diplomatically," he said. "Sometimes that's not possible, unfortunately, but if there's a chance to do it, we'll explore it."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei repeated Tehran's conditions Monday, saying negotiations must be preceded by the lifting of U.S. sanctions and an end to fighting on every front. Tehran proposed reducing the time before talks restart from seven days to two, CNBC reported.

"Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirement, including an end to war on all fronts, and you will see results," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on Sunday. "Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell," he wrote.

Araghchi wrote in the same post, "American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own." He told the Islamic Republic News Agency on Sunday that following the U.S. midterm elections "there has been no activity or movement from the mediators."

President Donald Trump told CNN on Sunday that additional strikes on Iran were "highly unlikely" if negotiations advanced. "It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement," Trump said.

"I would, if necessary, but we hit them really hard," Trump said, adding that he was highly unlikely to have to strike again. In that CNN interview, he described Iran as "a failing nation" that is "withering away financially."

"We won that in Iran, it's just a question of closing it out now or later," Trump told reporters in Florida. He said the U.S. had denied Iran a nuclear weapon and that the American naval blockade was "choking it off." Trump added, "Some of their neighbours would prefer that we just keep it the way it is."

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began the war in late February. Trump has repeatedly said its purpose is to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Republicans lost control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Trump has acknowledged the conflict helped cause that defeat; it has also driven up oil and gasoline prices.

Rubio would not say whether the conflict contributed to Republican losses, but he defended Trump's decision to go to war and said a nuclear Iran would endanger the world, The Jerusalem Post reported. "Sometimes doing the right thing is not necessarily popular, but it is necessary," Rubio said.

Energy prices fell Monday morning after Trump's comments about further strikes. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for December delivery traded 0.42% lower at $90.45. Oil extended its biggest weekly drop since April 2020, Bloomberg reported

Qatar, considered the chief mediator between the countries, said after the midterms last week that Tehran was studying proposals concerning its nuclear activities. Trump is expected to meet Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Washington on Monday.