US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that there are “good signs” in the negotiations with Iran, adding that Washington has “other options” if the talks fail, Anadolu reports.

“There are some good signs,” Rubio told reporters, but added: “I don’t want to be too optimistic. Let’s see what happens in the coming days.”

In the talks with Iran, “I think we’ve made some progress,” he said. “But clearly we’re dealing with a system that is itself a bit fragmented,” Rubio added.

He said that US President Donald Trump’s preference is “to get a good deal.”

“It’s always been his preference. If we can get a good deal, that would be great. I’m not telling you that it’s definitely going to happen, but I’m telling you that we’re going to do everything we can to get it,” Rubio said.

“But if we can’t, reach a good deal, the president has been clear; I won’t go into the details of what they are, but his preference is always for agreement, always for diplomacy,” he added. Tehran retaliated with attacks on Israel and US allies in the Persian Gulf, as well as closing the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire came into force on April 8 brokered by Pakistan, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. Trump later extended the ceasefire indefinitely, while maintaining a blockade on ships traveling to or from Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: prizrenpost