New Delhi

Marco Rubio on Monday said the US has made notable headway in talks with Iran aimed at reopening the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, though President Donald Trump remains cautious and unwilling to accept what he described as an unfavourable agreement.

Speaking during his four-day visit to India, Rubio said negotiations were ongoing and suggested that an initial arrangement to restore shipping through the Strait could be reached before a broader peace accord is finalised.

“Work is still in progress. We thought we might have some news last night, maybe today,” Rubio told a small group of reporters before departing for Agra.

He said a “solid framework” was currently under discussion, focusing on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and launching time-bound negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.

“We have what I think is a pretty solid thing on the table in terms of getting the Strait open, entering into a very real and significant time-limited negotiation on the nuclear matters, and hopefully we can pull it off,” he said.

Rubio stressed that there was broad international support for efforts to ease tensions in West Asia, while acknowledging that achieving peace would remain challenging.

The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a central issue in the ongoing negotiations, alongside concerns over Iran’s nuclear activities. Nearly one-fifth of the world’s energy supplies pass through the waterway under normal conditions.

Shipping through the Strait has faced severe disruptions since February 28, when joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory attacks. Despite a fragile ceasefire that came into effect on April 8, disruptions have continued.

“Every country that we’ve spoken to understands that reopening the Strait is not only reasonable but necessary for the world,” Rubio said.

He reiterated that Trump was prepared to allow diplomacy every opportunity to succeed, but would not compromise US interests.

“As the President has said, he is not in a hurry and he is not going to make a bad deal,” Rubio said. “No one has taken the threat of a nuclear Iran more seriously than President Trump.”

He added that the US would either secure a “good agreement” or explore “other ways” to address the issue.

“We’d prefer to have a good agreement,” he said.

Rubio had earlier hinted at possible progress during a joint press conference with S. Jaishankar following bilateral talks in New Delhi on Sunday.

Responding to a question on Lebanon, Rubio said Washington was separately engaged in efforts to maintain the 45-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.

“We’ve had weekly meetings and ongoing daily engagements between the Lebanese government and Israel,” he said.

Rubio blamed Hezbollah for continued instability in the region, describing the group as “a 100 per cent Iranian proxy”.

“Just last night, Hezbollah issued a statement calling for the overthrow of the Lebanese government. That reminds you who we are dealing with,” he said.

He added that Israel had the right to defend itself against missile attacks or threats from Hezbollah.

Rubio also spoke about his visit to the Taj Mahal, calling it “one of the wonders of the world”.

“I think it’s important to show respect to the culture of the countries you visit,” he said.

The US Secretary of State is also scheduled to visit Jaipur before returning to New Delhi on Tuesday to attend the Quad foreign ministers’ meeting.

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“There is so much to see in India — it’s a vast country with incredible diversity and history,” Rubio said.