Trump Says Reports of Talks With Iran Being Cut Off Are "Fake News"... Rubio Says Iran Could Agree to Nuclear Talks

[Financial News]  
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Trump denied reports that the United States and Iran were no longer holding ceasefire talks.
According to Fox News, Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social that talks with Iran had continued through the weekend and were still under way this week.
Trump said, "The 'fake news reports' claiming that Iran and the United States ended talks several days ago are false and misleading." He added, "Talks between the two countries have continued four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today."
He said, "No one knows how this will end, but as I told Iran, we have to reach an agreement one way or another." He added, "Iran has survived for 47 years so far, but it can no longer do so."
According to CNBC, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said the United States is continuing talks with Iran and that Iran could agree to negotiate over its nuclear program.
Appearing before the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the day, Rubio said, "Iran may agree to negotiate over 'specific areas of its nuclear program' that it refused to even mention just a month ago or a year ago."
He stressed that talks with Iran are not peaceful and are a complicated process that must go through a third country, but said discussions are still ongoing.
He added, however, that it is impossible to say whether the talks will lead to a final agreement that Congress or the American public would find satisfactory, and that the current stage is about testing how far Iran is willing to concede.
Rubio also argued that the war against Iran was justified.
He said Iran had tried to build a "conventional shield" with missiles, drones and naval power to protect its nuclear program. Rubio claimed that, with Trump's approval, the United States and Israel launched a preemptive strike on Feb. 28, and that the so-called Operation Epic Fury was highly successful, significantly weakening Iran's missile and drone production capabilities.
Rubio also said that to end the war, Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
He stressed that Iran must declare it will stop attacks and threats against merchant ships, end toll collection, support mine clearance, and promise not to attack commercial vessels.
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dympna@fnnews.com Song Kyung-jae Reporter