![This handout photo released by the IRGC’s official Sepah News Telegram channel shows smoke billowing from a site bombed by Israel in Tehran early on June 13, 2025 [Sepah News/AFP]](https://archive.mmnews.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Israel-attack-on-Iran-1.jpg)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that Donald Trump prefers diplomacy in the ongoing conflict with Iran, adding that indirect negotiations between the two countries are underway.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Rubio said that messages and communication between Iran and the United States are being exchanged through various intermediaries.
He noted that President Trump has consistently favoured achieving outcomes through diplomacy and that the issue could have been resolved earlier.
Referring to the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio said the waterway would be reopened after the conclusion of US military operations, either with Iran’s consent or through a global military coalition led by the United States.
He warned that if Iran attempts to keep the strait closed after the operation, it would face serious consequences.
Rubio accused the Iranian government of allocating resources to support Hezbollah, Hamas, and Shia militias in Iraq, and of unnecessarily threatening neighbouring countries.
He further stated that Iran would never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons and must end its support for terrorism and halt the development of weapons that pose a threat to its neighbours.
According to Rubio, Iran’s short-range missiles are intended to target countries including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
He added that Iran seeks to use nuclear capability to exert pressure globally, but the United States will not allow this. Rubio concluded that US objectives are clear and could be achieved within weeks rather than months.
