US secretary of state Marco Rubio has warned that Iran could lose almost all its oil revenue as US sanctions and efforts to block Iranian oil shipments intensify, saying the economic pressure on Tehran would become “even worse”.
Rubio said Iran had only a handful of oil shipments left at sea that had escaped the US blockade during the brief ceasefire and the period covered by the memorandum of understanding (MoU), according to news agency ANI. Once these shipments are exhausted, “almost all of their oil revenue will dry up”, he said. He accused Tehran’s leadership of bringing the crisis upon its own people, calling it a “radical regime of lunatics” and alleging that its policies were “destroying their own country”. He said Washington was determined to prevent Iran from finding alternative ways to generate revenue and evade sanctions, according to ANI. Rubio said the US did not see an immediate need for major military operations, arguing that the economic pressure campaign and naval blockade were already inflicting significant damage on Tehran. Iran has proposed resuming negotiations within two days but wants Washington to first lift its naval blockade, ease sanctions and agree to end hostilities across all fronts, according to Reuters.
On the military front, Washington has indicated that it is not planning to resume large-scale strikes on Iran for now.
However, Rubio has dismissed Tehran’s conditions as “outrageous and ridiculous”, saying Iran was not serious about reaching a deal. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended the proposal, calling it the most reasonable offer on the table.