Rubio calls Iran's peace terms unrealistic as US strikes Qeshm Island

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that Iran is presenting unrealistic conditions in the current peace negotiations. He characterized the Tehran side's demands as not just unacceptable but outrageous and ridiculous in some instances. These remarks came as American forces executed another overnight air strike on southern Iran.

Rubio spoke to reporters in Florida on Sunday before traveling to a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris. He stated that while several countries are engaging with Tehran using different approaches, the US is not near a breakthrough. Rubio noted that President Donald Trump prefers diplomatic solutions but finds the current Iranian terms unrealistic. He added that confronting the nuclear threat was necessary even if it was not popular.

The diplomatic standoff occurred alongside a reported US attack on Qeshm Island. An unnamed Revolutionary Guards Navy official told Iranian state media that navigational aid systems in the southern Strait of Hormuz were destroyed. He confirmed that no unauthorized vessels transited the route overnight. A provincial official told the semi-official Fars news agency that vital infrastructure and services remained intact, noting that targeted sites were far from residential and commercial areas.

Washington is preparing to use force if threats to shipping or US forces become clear and present. In parallel, diplomatic efforts continue with a meeting scheduled for Monday in the Oval Office between Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Qatar has been mediating for months. In September, Iran proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the strait, which included demands to end the war, unfreeze assets, and lift oil sanctions. Iran later shortened this timeline to two days, a proposal Foreign Minister Araghchi repeated on X on Sunday.

The US military is expanding its containment efforts through a new group called Task Force Iron Gate. Central Command announced the formation of this 20-member team of civilian and military personnel based in Florida. The force aims to disrupt land routes used to move weapons and illicit materials into Iran. Admiral Brad Cooper, the chief of Central Command, said the task force will constrain Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish its military. Trump wrote on Truth Social that the force is in full effect and that very little is entering or leaving the country.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pushed back against the economic pressure. Spokesman Hossein Mohebi told Fars that the US effort will fail and will not cause economic collapse. He stated that the United States cannot impose the economic blockade it is pursuing under various names. Trump addressed the domestic political fallout from the conflict, saying he had no problem with Vice President JD Vance's comments linking the war to Republican losses in the midterms. Trump argued that the decision to act was one of the best things the country ever did, preventing a potential nuclear weapon that could have destroyed the world.

The conflict began in late February when the United States and Israel launched operations to destabilize Iran's regime and destroy its ballistic missile and nuclear programs. While outright fighting has largely subsided, the economic and logistical battle continues. Iran maintains efforts to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies. The US Navy simultaneously maintains a counterblockade of Iranian ports, creating a tense standoff in the region's key waterways.