U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused Iran of "outrageous and ridiculous" demands as efforts to reach a lasting resolution in the Middle East war appeared stalled.
Speaking with reporters in Florida on Sunday evening before traveling to Paris for the G7 foreign ministers' meeting, Rubio indicated the two sides remain far apart on negotiations, after Tehran proposed shortening the timetable for restarting talks from seven days to two.
Rubio said President Donald Trump would prefer to solve "this and every problem diplomatically," but added that "sometimes that's not possible, unfortunately."
Energy prices moved lower on Monday morning after President Trump said Sunday that further strikes were "highly unlikely" if negotiations progressed toward a strong agreement.
Brent crude , the international price benchmark, was down 0.75% at $97.58 per barrel by 5:25 a.m. ET. Meanwhile, U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for December delivery were trading 0.42% lower at $90.45.
Trump said in a CNN interview prior to Rubio's comments that a resumption of hostilities in the more than eight-month-long conflict was unlikely, provided that talks to constrain Iran's nuclear ambitions and reopen the Strait of Hormuz can progress.
"I wouldn't say we're on the verge of a breakthrough," Rubio said. "Right now, it hasn't been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable but, in some cases, outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday that Tehran wants U.S. sanctions lifted and the war ended on all fronts before negotiations begin.
