Trending
TEL AVIV, Israel -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that "slight progress" was made during talks with Iran as Pakistan's army chief traveled to Tehran in a renewed effort to mediate a peace deal and uncertainty loomed over whether the war would resume.
Rubio spoke days after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was holding off on a military strike against the Islamic Republic because "serious negotiations" were underway. Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran does not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement.
America's top diplomat made the comment ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, where the military alliance discussed what role it could play in helping police the Strait of Hormuz once the war is over.
Rubio said he did not want to exaggerate the progress, saying there had been "a little bit of movement and that's good." In recent weeks, repeated claims of progress have emerged, but a deal has stayed out of reach.
Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off. But he's also previously indicated he would hold off on military action to allow talks to play out, only to turn around and launch strikes. That happened at the war's outset, when he ordered strikes in late February shortly after indicating he would let talks play out.
The president said he called off attacks on Iran this week at the request of allies in the Middle East.
In a renewed push for a peace agreement, Pakistan's top army officer arrived Friday in Tehran for talks with Iranian leaders, Pakistani officials and the military confirmed. It's the third round of meetings between Pakistani and Iranian officials in recent days.
Field Marshal Asim Munir will be joined by Pakistan's interior minister, who has already met with Iranian leaders in Tehran twice this week. Pakistan has sought a deal between Iran and the U.S. since Munir facilitated face-to-face talks between the two countries in Islamabad last month.