U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Iran has missed "several" opportunities to reach an agreement on its nuclear program, as negotiations between Washington and Tehran over a lasting peace agreement in the Middle East remain stalled.
During his visit to Greece, Rubio said, "Iran has failed to seize multiple opportunities to reach an agreement with us regarding its nuclear program."
He stated that restricting Iran's nuclear ambitions remains a key part of the U.S. demands, and attempts by both sides to reach a lasting ceasefire agreement have yet to yield results.
Rubio's remarks followed those of Vice President J.D Vance. Earlier this week, Vance told Reuters that any agreement to resolve the seven-month conflict must include Iran's commitment to make "substantial" cuts to its nuclear enrichment activities.
Last week, President Trump denied reports that he had proposed to lift sanctions in exchange for Iranian nuclear concessions.
Without reaching any agreement, Iran has recently increased its attacks on oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Nowadays, ships rely on the protection of the US military to navigate through this critical waterway.
After Houthi forces, supported by Iran, launched two attacks on two Saudi Arabian airports, energy prices rose on Wednesday.
Brent crude oil, the international oil price benchmark, rose by 0.64% to $101.23 per barrel; futures for US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil ($WTI) increased by 0.21% to $89.63 per barrel.
