President Donald Trump said Tuesday that US-Iran talks are "going on continuously," dismissing media reports that indicate that stated talks were halted.
Trump said in a Truth Social post that reports of a halt in US-Iran communications were "false and erroneous" and that discussions between Washington and Tehran remained ongoing.
"The conversations between us have been going on continuously, including four days ago, three days ago, two days ago, one day ago, and today," Trump said.
"Where they lead, one never knows, but as I told Iran, 'It's time, one way or another, for you to make a Deal. You've been doing this for 47 years, and it cannot be allowed to go on any longer'," Trump said, reiterating his call for Tehran to reach an agreement.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a similar diplomatic tone during a Senate hearing on Tuesday while outlining the administration's conditions for restoring commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio said the Trump administration has not discussed sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that any easing of restrictions must remain tied to Tehran's nuclear activities.
"... any sanctions relief is condition-based, which means it has to be in return for the reason why those sanctions were put in place in the first place, which is their nuclear program," Rubio said.
"Iran is being sanctioned because they've highly enriched uranium. Iran is being sanctioned because of their nuclear activities. If they agree to give up those things, there will be sanctions relief associated with their commitment and compliance," Rubio said.
He added that the US would prefer to continue negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
"If Iran wants to be able to move its oil again... they will have to reopen the Strait, if they refuse to do so, then we have other options available to us but we would prefer to negotiate," Rubio said.
He added that Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, stop charging transit fees and end threats against commercial vessels before broader negotiations can proceed. "They have to announce very clearly, that straits are now open, we're are not charging a toll, we'll help remove the mines... and they will not fire on ships," Rubio said.
After reopening the Strait, talks would shift to Iran's nuclear program and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Rubio said.
"Phase two is... the disposition of the highly enriched uranium that is still very deep in the mountains somewhere," Rubio said, adding that Iran must accept severe long-term limits on uranium enrichment or agree to end the activity altogether.
Rubio said specialists would likely need up to 90 days to work through technical details surrounding Iran's nuclear program if Tehran agrees to proceed.
Rubio said Iran's supreme leader remains alive and is becoming increasingly involved in decision-making, suggesting Tehran's leadership continues to play an active role in ongoing discussions with the US.
On energy markets, Rubio said countries across the Indo-Pacific remain heavily dependent on flows through the Strait of Hormuz and will need time to diversify supplies.
The Strait of Hormuz carries roughly 80% to 90% of the Indo-Pacific's energy supplies, Rubio said, adding that the region will see "more diversification on where they get the energy from, including from the United States."
Asked whether he could commit to not extending a general license tied to Russian oil transactions when it expires on June 17, Rubio said the decision ultimately rests with the Treasury Department.
Rubio said the administration previously approved the temporary measure to help maintain global oil supplies and avoid disruptions that could have pushed energy prices higher, describing the license as a time-limited response to market conditions.
Oil prices rose in midday trading on Tuesday as investors monitored developments in US-Iran negotiations, with Brent crude increasing 1.14% to $96.06 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude gaining 1.83% to $93.85/bbl.