US secretary of state Marco Rubio on Sunday said diplomatic efforts to end the conflict with Iran have hardly made any progress, accusing Tehran of putting forward demands that Washington considers unrealistic.Speaking to reporters at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida before leaving for Paris to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting, Rubio said several countries were continuing to mediate between the two sides but cautioned against expectations of an imminent breakthrough, ANI reported, citing Al Jazeera.“You have a number of countries that continue to engage them with different ideas, but I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough,” Rubio said.He said President Donald Trump remained open to resolving the conflict through diplomacy, but argued that negotiations could not advance under the conditions being proposed by Iran.“If there’s a chance to do it, we’ll explore it. Right now, it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic,” Rubio said.Araghchi warns US to accept Iran’s proposal or face retaliationRubio’s remarks came as Iranian foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi asked Washington to accept Tehran’s proposal to end the conflict on all fronts, warning of severe military retaliation if it chose to continue the war.In a post on X on Sunday, Araghchi said the decision now rested with the US administration following the midterm elections.“American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own,” he wrote.Araghchi said Iran’s two-day proposal remained on the table, calling on Washington to meet its conditions, including an end to hostilities on all fronts.“Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results. Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell,” he added.Araghchi also acknowledged that diplomatic efforts to end the hostilities had reached an impasse, attributing the delay to the political situation in Washington following the US midterm elections.“The main reason is the US election results, which have obviously come as a shock to everyone,” he told reporters in Tehran, according to Al Jazeera.He said mediators would need time before they could resume their visits and efforts to facilitate negotiations.
