Rubio's case: Iran is finally willing to talk

Rubio tells Congress Iran has opened the door on nuclear talks, but Democrats push back hard

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers Tuesday that Iran has agreed to negotiate aspects of its nuclear program that Tehran had refused to discuss even a year ago, a shift he called a reason for cautious optimism despite a shaky ceasefire, rising tensions in Lebanon, and fierce Democratic opposition to the administration's broader foreign policy.

Rubio's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a House Appropriations subcommittee marked his first public appearance on Capitol Hill since the Iran war began at the end of February.

He faced protesters who briefly disrupted both sessions and sharp questioning from Democrats who challenged him on foreign aid cuts, the legality of military strikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels, and what they described as a reckless approach to the Middle East.

The hearings covered an unusually wide range of flash points, Iran's nuclear posture, Israel's operations against Hezbollah, the dismantlement of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Pentagon strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that have killed more than 200 people since early September. But the central question was whether Washington can coax Tehran back to the table while a hot war continues.

Rubio framed the diplomatic opening in concrete terms, telling senators:

"They have agreed to negotiate aspects of their nuclear program that just a month ago, just a year ago, they were refusing to even mention."

He stopped short of predicting the outcome, saying only that he was hopeful "it will lead to a deal that's acceptable." He acknowledged that negotiations have been complicated by what he described as the instability of Iran's leadership.

On the question of whether Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, is engaged, Rubio offered a measured assessment:

"I think there are indications out there that he is increasingly engaging at some level, although all of his communications have been in writing and through intermediaries."

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