Iran warns Rubio's Gulf tour remarks could jeopardise US deal

Statements made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during his trip to the Gulf region risk undermining a hard-won agreement aimed at resolving tensions involving Iran, a senior Iranian source told TASS.

“The US position demonstrated during Marco Rubio's tour of the Gulf countries risks jeopardising the painstakingly reached agreement to end the war,” the source said.

According to him, Iranian officials increasingly suspect that different branches of the US administration are pursuing a coordinated strategy to pressure Tehran into participating in what he described as “parallel negotiations” aimed at limiting Iran's “Axis of Resistance.”

“Iran has made it clear that it will not negotiate over its regional allies,” he noted.

The source also accused European countries of attempting to pressure Tehran through statements regarding Iran's missile programme.

“New European outcries over Iran's ballistic missiles are viewed in Tehran as a tactic designed to pressure Iran as part of a US-EU scheme aimed at what they see as the ‘neutralisation’ of Iran,” he added.

He further stressed that Tehran would not tolerate such pressure and would not compromise on either issue.

“Iran will not allow its regional allies to fall and will not abandon its missile programme,” the source emphasised.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov