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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington is open to speaking with the Iranian delegation at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), though no meeting has been scheduled, echoing earlier comments by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"We're open to that," Rubio told NBC's "Today" show.
"I don't think anything is scheduled at this point, but we're certainly open to something like that, especially if it has the prospects of leading to something positive and ultimately achieving the goal of what this is all about. And that is the fact that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. They just simply can't," he added.
Rubio elaborated on Washington's broader posture toward Iran in separate remarks.
"You never close the door to agreements or diplomacy because sometimes things change in the system. Maybe the system changes. Maybe something happens internally, or they make a pragmatic decision for the time being that they're better off with diplomacy," Rubio said.
Trump had told Fox News on Sunday that he would "probably" be willing to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the summit.
Trump and Pezeshkian are both scheduled to attend the U.N. General Assembly this week, the first time the two leaders will be present at the same event since Trump launched what the administration calls "Operation Epic Fury" against Iran in February.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz to Gulf shipping within days if the U.S. lifts its blockade, describing the UN gathering as a "golden opportunity" to renew diplomacy with Washington.
The official said Iran's delegation has full authority to revive talks, though no direct meeting between the two presidents is currently planned.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in New York on Monday to participate in the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
Leading a high-level Iranian delegation, Araghchi was received at John F. Kennedy International Airport by Gholamhossein Darzi, Iran's permanent representative and charge d'affaires to the U.N., according to Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.
En route to New York, Araghchi made a brief stop in Doha, where he held discussions with Qatari officials on the latest regional developments.
Pezeshkian was scheduled to travel to New York on Tuesday to attend and address the General Assembly, with plans to meet and consult with several world leaders and officials on the sidelines.
Both Pezeshkian and Araghchi have said they intend to defend Iran's positions on the war during the summit.
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