U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States was still willing to pursue diplomacy and that Iran had sent signals directly and through mediators that it wanted to negotiate.
"The United States always remains open to a diplomatic solution, and we’ve tried multiple times with Iran, and we’ll continue to try," Rubio said.
Earlier, the top U.S. and Iranian diplomats signaled separately that they remained open to talks even as the two sides traded new strikes, more than a week into a spiraling escalation in their war.
"I think we’re always open to diplomacy. It has to be a deal that they’re willing to live by," Rubio said.
Still, after a week of escalating strikes that shattered the cease-fire the two sides had reached last month, there were no imminent signs of talks. Tehran and Washington have both sought to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, though the attacks in recent days have widened to include infrastructure in the Middle East, including bridges and water facilities.
