Rubio: US Remains Open to a Diplomatic Solution with Iran, but Tehran's Behaviour Must Change

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday (July 19), before departing for the ASEAN summit in Manila and as the US military carried out a ninth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, that Washington remains open to a diplomatic solution with Iran. He added: "We've tried multiple times with Iran, and we'll continue to try. If that door opens, we'll be happy to see it open."

Rubio stressed the openness is conditional, saying Iran's behaviour has to change in order for the US position to change, and accused Iran of firing missiles and drones at ships. Despite the remarks, there have been no public signs of diplomacy over the past week as the two sides continued exchanging strikes. The uncertain outlook for negotiations is a key driver of swings in Iran's currency and gold markets.