live Rubio Says US 'Completely Aligned' With Gulf Allies In Iran Talks

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to reassure Persian Gulf allies that Washington would remain “completely aligned” with regional partners as technical talks continue on a US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last week and aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking in Kuwait on June 24 during a tour of Gulf states, Rubio stressed that the United States was “not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies” as negotiations move forward.

His trip to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain comes amid concerns among some Gulf governments that the proposed deal is too accommodating toward Tehran.

The memorandum, the first such accord signed by US and Iranian presidents since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, includes a proposed $300 billion fund for Iran's postwar reconstruction and the easing of some sanctions.

Rubio said technical negotiators would resume talks later this month, likely in Switzerland, to work out implementation details.

“If Iran wants to make a good and real deal, the United States is open to that,” he said, while warning that President Donald Trump still has “options” if diplomacy fails.

Iran has pushed back against US claims that any frozen Iranian assets released under a framework deal would be used to buy American agricultural products but stopped short of ruling it out, as the proposal sparked a sharp backlash from the country’s hard-liners.

The release of billions in Iranian funds held abroad is part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Tehran and Washington on June 17 that aims to end months of war between the foes.

US President Donald Trump said on June 23 that any unlocked Iranian funds would be used to purchase American corn, soybeans, and wheat. The money, he said, would be held "in escrow, controlled by" Washington and spent "exclusively" on American food and medical supplies.

But Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati swiftly denied there was such an obligation. "Based on the signed memorandum, we have no requirement to purchase agricultural inputs from America," he said.

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Shipping appears to be rapidly increasing in the Strait of Hormuz, with one maritime monitor tracking a 48 percent increase day-on-day on June 24 while the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said an operation to evacuate stranded seafarers was underway.

Shipping monitor Windward said in a daily brief that shipping had surged in the strait, which carried 20 percent of global oil supplies prior to the war, in “the clearest sign yet” that it was “moving toward functional commercial normalcy.”

The brief said traffic was boosted by the IMO corridor, announced on June 23, which is aimed at evacuating 11,000 seafarers on hundreds of vessels.

"Ships have already begun to pass under the plan," an IMO spokesperson said on June 24, declining to provide any details of the vessels that had crossed.

"The (IMO) framework was developed due to the continued degradation of navigational safety within the strait and concerns over elevated collision risks," British maritime risk management group Vanguard said in a note on June 24.

KUWAIT CITY -- The US Embassy has reopened with a flag-raising ceremony attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a sign of normalcy returning to the Persian Gulf after the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Washington and Tehran.

Operations at the embassy were suspended due to Iranian missile and drone strikes, as Tehran lashed out at US Gulf allies following the US and Israeli air strikes that began on February 28.

The State Department said emergency services for US citizens would be resumed immediately while full services would be phased in.

Rubio will shortly be meeting Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, before heading on to Bahrain.

Earlier on June 24, he held talks in the United Arab Emirates with President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other senior figures. Talks focused on the MOU and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said.

Asked on arrival if he planned to address allies' disquiet with the accord, Rubio told reporters: "That most certainly will come up in these discussions."

Israel will not withdraw its forces from Lebanon, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said, as Tel Aviv and Beirut continued talks mediated by Washington.

“We have made it clear that under no circumstances will we withdraw,” Katz said at the MUNI EXPO conference in Tel Aviv on June 24, adding that he had outlined this stance to his US counterpart.

“As of this moment -- and this is a diplomatic achievement -- there is no American demand for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon,” he added.

Katz’s statement came as Israel and Lebanon discussed a US-backed proposal during negotiations in Washington that would see Israeli forces leave parts of the territory they have invaded and transfer control to Lebanese forces.

Speaking to reporters after the second day of talks had begun, a US State Department official said Israel and Lebanon were "negotiating as two sovereign states with the goal of finding long lasting peace and security."

"Our shared goal is to end the cycle of violence for good. The talks continue to advance a comprehensive peace and security between the two countries," the official added.

Israel began launching strikes targeting Hezbollah militants in Lebanon since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran, when Hezbollah forces opened fire in support of Tehran. The MOU declares "the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon."

Hezbollah is a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. It is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union has blacklisted its armed wing.

With reporting by Reuters.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said there is currently "no plan" for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect Iran's nuclear sites, and Tehran would only negotiate issues related to the country's nuclear sites and enriched nuclear material within the framework of a final agreement with the United States.

"These discussions will be reviewed and determined solely within the framework of the final agreement," Gharibabadi wrote in a post on X on June 24, adding it will also depend on Washington showing "practical steps" to lift its sanctions on Tehran.

Gharibabadi's comment came after IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi announced on June 25 that the UN agency's inspectors will visit Iran's nuclear enrichment sites damaged during the Israeli-Iranian war last year and after US President Donald Trump said the agency would go to Iran "at the appropriate time."

"There is no plan to access the attacked facilities or nuclear materials," Gharibabadi said. He also claimed Grossi had requested a meeting with Iranian officials in Switzerland but that the request was denied.

Pakistan, which has been mediating peace talks between the United States and Iran, announced on June 24 that a new round of technical talks between the two countries was set to take place next week.

"Talks will resume next week," Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told journalists in Islamabad, providing no details about the potential venue.

Andrabi's announcement came amid intensified regional diplomacy as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio began a Gulf tour aimed at reassuring Washington's closest Arab allies, while Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf traveled to Oman and Azerbaijan.

At the same time, tensions between Washington and Tehran over a final peace deal remained elevated.

While oil exports and shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have begun to recover after months of its effective closure, more than 1,000 ships were reportedly stuck in the Persian Gulf as of June 24.

The issue of safe passage through the waterway remains key to the final resolution of the conflict. As Iran has been seeking to impose a tolling system on transit through the strait, Rubio insisted the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, rejecting the possibility.

"No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That's existing international law," he said as he arrived in the United Arab Emirates on June 23.

Meanwhile, speaking at a news conference in Azerbaijan, Qalibaf described the temporary deal between the United States and Iran as a "declaration of America's defeat," adding that security in the Middle East should be managed by regional countries.

With reporting by AFP

International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi announced on June 24 that the IAEA's inspectors will visit Iran's nuclear enrichment sites.

“I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing I would like to remind you and draw your attention to is that there has been a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both presidents [of Iran and the United States],” Grossi said at a press conference at the Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan.

He added that the memorandum "says explicitly that the nuclear activities that are going to be carried out with regards to the nuclear material facilities will be supervised by the IAEA."

“Obviously, to do that, we will have to inspect. Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in 10 days, it’s important, but not essential. This is going to happen,” Grossi said.

A day earlier, US President Donald Trump said that IAEA inspectors would go to Iran "at the appropriate time" to inspect damaged nuclear facilities.

In response to claims that there were no plans for nuclear inspectors to return to Iran, he said Iranian officials were "wrong" and that Washington had agreed with Tehran to conduct "100 percent inspections."

Asked when the inspections would begin, he said: "There is no rush, but they will be on site at the appropriate time."

Grossi's comments are among the most explicit statements by the IAEA regarding Iran's nuclear activities. The agency has played a key role in determining the status of Tehran's nuclear stockpiles.

Since the start of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last year, Tehran has blocked the UN agency's access to its nuclear enrichment facilities.

IAEA inspections are essential to implementing the agreement signed by Washington and Tehran last week, which requires Iran to reduce the enrichment level of its uranium stockpile.

Oman announced the introduction of a temporary sea route to pass through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

According to the Omani state news agency, this measure is intended to facilitate the passage of vessels intending to pass through this important waterway.

According to this announcement, ships intending to use this temporary route must depart after coordinating with the IMO and based on the coordinates announced by this international body and Omani authorities.

The announcement emphasizes that this decision was taken with the aim of ensuring freedom of navigation in this strategic waterway in line with international and maritime law to ensure freedom of navigation without the need to pay tolls.

Earlier, Iranian officials who had traveled to Oman after Switzerland had announced an agreement to plan and develop a joint mechanism with Oman to collect fees for providing maritime services to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian officials said this would not mean collecting transit fees and that the fees would be collected solely in exchange for providing services.

US President Donald Trump has also emphasized in recent days that during the 60-day period following the initial agreement between Washington and Tehran, the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz will be completely free, and after this period, Tehran and Muscat will cooperate to introduce and implement a mechanism to provide services to passing vessels.

Nearly 1,150 ships are still stuck in the Persian Gulf despite the initial agreement between Iran and the United States to end the war, Alliance, Germany's largest insurance company, announced.

The insurance company estimates the total value of these vessels and their cargoes at around $125 billion.

Justus Heinrich, a senior expert in the commercial sector at Alliance Insurance, emphasized that "shipping has been held hostage in this war," saying that even if conditions in the Strait of Hormuz return to normal, it will take weeks for the ships to leave the region and transfer their cargoes to their final destinations.

Despite the initial agreement between Iran and the United States, shipping companies continue to assess the risk level in the Persian Gulf region as high. A few days ago, following the resurgence of fighting in Lebanon, Iran announced once again the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which fueled concerns among shipping companies.

Heinrich said international shipping organizations and German shipowners are still unable to accurately assess the risks to their vessels and crews, and as a result, "ships will not leave their anchorages as long as the situation remains the same."

Iran has effective leverage, he said, noting that 20 and 25 percent of the world's oil and liquefied gas shipments pass through the Strait of Hormuz.