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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there are “fractures” within Iran’s leadership as Washington holds discussions with figures inside the country while declining to identify those involved in negotiations to end the war.
Speaking on ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” Rubio said he would not disclose who the United States is engaging with, citing concerns for their safety.
“I’m not going to disclose to you who those people are because it probably would get them in trouble with some other groups of people inside of Iran,” Rubio said.
Rubio said internal divisions had emerged in Iran’s leadership, suggesting some figures may be open to a different direction.
“Look, there’s some fractures going on there internally,” he said, adding that it would be positive if some individuals were willing to move in a different direction for the country.
He said those involved in discussions with the United States are “saying some of the right things privately,” while noting that public statements may differ from private communications.
“There are clearly people there talking to us in ways that previous people in charge in Iran have not spoken to us in the past,” Rubio said.
Rubio said it remains unclear whether those engaged in talks have the authority to deliver outcomes.
“At the end of the day, we have to see if these people end up being the ones in charge, seeing if they’re the ones that have the power to deliver. We’re going to test it,” he said.
His comments followed a social media post by President Donald Trump stating that the U.S. is in discussions with what he described as a “new, and more reasonable, regime” in Iran.
Rubio declined to clarify who Trump was referring to but said the United States prefers to resolve the conflict through negotiation and diplomacy, while also preparing for the possibility that such efforts may fail.
The remarks come amid ongoing conflict, during which Israeli strikes have killed senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was replaced by his son, according to U.S. assessments.
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