If there is no US-Iran deal, then what's next? Top US diplomat answers

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Washington could intensify pressure on Iran if they fail to reach a peace deal.

In an interview with Fox News, Rubio said the next steps would ultimately be decided by Donald Trump but stressed that the United States already has “extraordinary” sanctions in place and could increase them further.

“I would start with reminding everybody that the level of sanctions on Iran are extraordinary, the level of pressure on Iran is extraordinary, and I think more can be brought to bear,” Rubio said. “But I hope that in the aftermath of this conflict, the whole world’s eyes have been opened to the threat Iran poses.”

Talks between Washington and Tehran have stalled over Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran has floated a proposal to reopen the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz and de-escalate the conflict while postponing nuclear discussions to a later stage.

However, Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with the proposal, according to a report by The New York Times citing people familiar with White House deliberations.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that any agreement must ensure Iran cannot obtain nuclear weapons.

Rubio also indicated that any deal excluding Iran’s nuclear program would be a non-starter.

“We can’t let them get away with it,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News on Monday. “We have to ensure that any agreement … definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon.”

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed up crude and gasoline prices, adding to political pressure on Trump ahead of midterm elections and straining relations with Gulf allies dependent on the waterway.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has stepped up diplomatic outreach amid the conflict.

On Monday, he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, according to Russia’s state news agency Tass.

Araghchi said the United States had failed to achieve its objectives in the war and was now seeking negotiations. “That’s why they ask for negotiation,” he told Russian state television. “We are now considering it.”