Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the U.S. has made “significant progress” in discussions related to Iran, while stressing the “ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
Speaking during his visit to India in a press conference with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Rubio said that additional developments could come later on Sunday.
Rubio added that the administration has worked with Gulf regional partners over the last 48 hours on a possible framework aimed at keeping international waterways open and addressing concerns surrounding Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio addresses a press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on May 24, 2026.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
“We think we’ve made some progress on the outline of something that, if it works, could give us that outcome,” Rubio said, while cautioning that any agreement would still require “full Iranian acceptance, and then compliance.”
He also condemned Iranian threats against commercial shipping routes, calling such actions “illegal under any concept of international law.”
Rubio defended President Donald Trump’s record on Iran, stating “there is no one who has been stronger on this issue than President Trump,” dismissing suggestions that the administration would agree to any arrangement that strengthens Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
“The idea that somehow this president, given everything he’s already proven he’s willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd,” Rubio said.
Rubio closed his remarks by expressing cautious optimism, saying “perhaps there is the possibility that over the next few hours the world will get some good news.”
-ABC News’ Rebecca Gelpi-Ufret
