US Secretary of State Expresses Hope for Deal with Iran Amidst Drone Capabilities Concerns

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Tuesday that the United States hopes to reach an agreement with Iran, acknowledging the country possesses a substantial number of drones. He reiterated contradictory positions from U.S. officials regarding Iran, alleging that Tehran was building a missile arsenal to protect its nuclear program.

The U.S. Secretary of State, in remarks suggesting apprehension from the White House regarding Tehran’s defensive capabilities, claimed, “We have targeted Iran’s drone production capabilities, and Iran’s conventional missile defense system has been significantly weakened! Of course, Iran still has a large number of drones.” He added that Iran has agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear program that it had previously refused to discuss a year ago.

“We hope to reach an agreement with Iran that will lead to the reopening of the straits,” Rubio stated. “If Iran insists on closing the straits to everyone, we will close them to Iran, and this is something we have done through a blockade! Iran cannot impose costs and threaten to blow up ships while its own ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz without any restrictions! Currently, Iran only possesses a fleet of speedboats equipped with machine guns!”

In another part of his remarks, addressing widespread criticism of the Trump administration concerning Moscow, he noted that the waiver permitting Russian oil sales is temporary, and the decision to extend it rests with the Treasury Department.