US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the 2nd (local time) that the United States is currently negotiating with Iran, but the timing of an agreement remains uncertain.

This hearing marks Secretary Rubio's first testimony before Congress since the US and Israel launched a large-scale military operation against Iran in late February.

In response to questions from lawmakers, Secretary Rubio explained, "Iran has agreed to negotiate over parts of its nuclear program," adding, "This is a change from a month ago, or even a year ago, when they outright refused to engage in dialogue." He noted that a deal with Iran "could happen today, tomorrow, or next week," but added, "There is no guarantee that a final agreement subject to congressional ratification will necessarily be reached."

He subsequently emphasized that he has never proposed lifting sanctions on Iran or allowing the use of frozen funds in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary Rubio firmly stated, "Sanctions relief must be conditional, and that prerequisite is resolving the Iranian nuclear program issue, which is the cause of the sanctions."