‘Good signs’ in Iran negotiations — but US weighing backup plans

President Donald Trump said he is willing to wait on Iran to decide whether to accept a peace deal to end the war.

“I can save war by waiting a couple of days, or if I can save people being killed by waiting a couple of days, I think it’s a great thing to do,” Trump said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that despite “good signs” in talks with Iran, “other options” remain on the table.

Careful not to sound overly optimistic, Rubio told reporters that Pakistan and other regional allies are working to bring a diplomatic resolution, with some officials traveling to Tehran Thursday. Washington, he said, remains ready with alternative plans.

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“The president’s preference is to do a good deal. That’s his preference. It’s always been his preference,” Rubio said. “If we can get a good deal done, that would be great. But if we can’t get a good deal, the president’s been clear he has other options.”

Rubio also said Iran’s reported plan to impose tolls on ships in the Strait of Hormuz would make any agreement “unfeasible.”

Speaking to reporters on a tarmac in Florida, he criticized Tehran’s effort to financially benefit from control of the strategic waterway.

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“No one in the world is in favor of a tolling system. It can’t happen. It would be unacceptable,” he said. “It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that.”

Still, Rubio said there are signs of progress in negotiations despite weeks of back-and-forth over a sustainable end to the conflict.

“I don’t want to get ahead of it ... I think we’ve made some progress,” he said. “But obviously we’re dealing with a system that itself is a little fractured.”