US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Tuesday that Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who was wounded in US-Israeli attacks and has not been seen in public since assuming office, is alive and increasingly active. Rubio made the remarks during a testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Rubio's Testimony
“I think there are indications out there that he is increasingly engaging at some level,” Rubio told the committee. Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, succeeded his father Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the first wave of US-Israeli strikes that launched the war on February 28. Rubio was testifying as talks on ending the three-month-old war, which has engulfed the Middle East and triggered a global energy crisis, have stalled.
Prospects for a Deal
Rubio expressed hope for a deal with Iran but insisted that Tehran must severely limit its nuclear program to see sanctions lifted. “There is the prospect before us, which could happen today, it could happen tomorrow, it could happen next week,” Rubio said. He emphasized that Tehran must agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas. “They have to announce very clearly ‘The straits are now open, we’re not charging a toll’. We will help remove the mines that they put in there, and they will not fire on ships.”
Nuclear Limitations
Additionally, Rubio stated: “They have to agree on negotiating severe and long-term limitations and/or cancelation of enrichment activity.” He continued: “Iran is being sanctioned because they’ve highly enriched uranium, Iran is being sanctioned because of their nuclear activities, if they agree to give up those things, there will be sanctions relief.”
