‘Good news in a few hours' | Rubio's big update on Iran war

S Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is on a four-day India tour, told reporters in Delhi that there is a possibility of "good news" regarding the peace deal with Iran later today. "I do think perhaps there is the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news," he said. Rubio said the emerging peace deal would address concerns on the Strait of Hormuz - which Iran largely blocked in response to the US-Israel joint attack. The agreement would also start a "process that can ultimately leave us where the president wants us to be, and that is a world that no longer has to fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon", he said.

The top US diplomat asserted that the ultimate goal is to make sure Iran could never have a nuclear weapon. "Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon. The Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway, and what they are doing now is basically they are threatening to destroy commercial vessels using an international waterway that is illegal under any concept of international law," he said. Rubio made the remarks while addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar - that lasted for nearly 53 minutes.

US President Donald Trump, earlier in the day, said that a peace deal with Iran has been "largely negotiated" after calls with Israel and other allies in the region - potentially paving the way for an end to the three-month-long war. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the final details of the deal were being discussed before a formal announcement. According to Trump, he separately spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - which went "very well".