US President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday that negotiations with Iran are progressing "very well" and could potentially yield results as early as this weekend. "I hear the negotiation itself is going very well actually," Trump told reporters, adding that a deal "could happen... over the weekend."
Rubio's Assertion of Victory
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced his claim that the war with Iran is over, despite ongoing deadly strikes. "We're no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of Iran to degrade their military, because Epic Fury is over," Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee, asserting that the United States had achieved victory. He defined victory as "destroying their defense industrial base, significantly reducing the number of missile launchers that they possess, significantly reducing their stockpile of drones." Rubio added that they had also destroyed what remained of Iran's air force and wiped out their entire conventional navy.
Iran's Perspective
Trump's optimistic assessment stands in stark contrast to that of Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who stated that while communication lines with the US remain open, "no tangible progress" has been made in negotiations to end the Middle East war. Iran has demanded the release of $12 billion in frozen assets before engaging in substantive talks on its nuclear program. Tehran also dismissed earlier comments by Trump suggesting that its stockpile of enriched uranium would ultimately be destroyed.
Separating Conflicts
Trump expressed his desire to separate US-Iran talks from the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. "I'd like to separate it, I'd like to have a separate thing, because it is, it is separate," Trump said. He also revealed that the US had spoken with Hezbollah for the first time, with an agreement for both sides to cease firing. "They agreed yesterday they're not going to shoot, Israel's not going to shoot, we're just going to see," Trump stated.
Continued Clashes
Despite claims of a ceasefire, clashes continue. The US reported shooting down Iranian drones and striking an Iranian ground control station, while Iran launched drones and missiles at several Gulf neighbors. Trump downplayed the exchange, saying, "It's a different part of the world, you know. I'd say in that part of the world, ceasefire is when you're shooting in a more moderate manner." Iran struck Kuwait's airport on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding 63, a major escalation. Bahrain also faced overnight drone strikes from Iran.
Nuclear Negotiations
Rubio updated legislators on negotiations, stating that Iran's highly enriched uranium stockpiles are at the center of discussions and that Tehran has not yet agreed to a peace deal. Washington insists Iran must turn over its near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, curb its nuclear activities, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz for any peace agreement. "I think now, in some of the papers that have been exchanged back and forth, it's clearly addressed, but we...still don't have final sign off from their system as of this morning," Rubio told the House committee.
Democratic representatives pushed back against Rubio's claims, with Representative Sara Jacobs of California stating, "You can change the name of the operation. It doesn't change the fact that the Strait's still closed, and my service members, and all of our service members, are still in harm's way."
