Secretary of State says IAEA inspections must resume 'as soon as possible'; signals Russia oil sanctions relief unlikely to be extended

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters at Kuwait International Airport on Wednesday (local time). [AP]
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters at Kuwait International Airport on Wednesday (local time). [AP]

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday effectively acknowledged the need for Israel's continued presence in Lebanon while calling for an expanded role for the Lebanese army, as the question of an Israeli military withdrawal emerged as a key variable in implementing the US-Iran truce agreement.

Speaking to reporters in Kuwait — the second stop of his Middle East tour — Rubio said "the only reason Israel is in Lebanon is because Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, has been firing rockets and drones from there."

He said the Lebanese army and a legitimate, sovereign Lebanese government must "progressively take control of and secure more of their own territory." As Lebanese forces extend their reach, Hezbollah's zone of control will shrink and Israel will correspondingly reduce its footprint in Lebanon. "That is the essence of these negotiations," he added.

The negotiations Rubio referred to are US-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Lebanese government being held at the Department of State. The talks resumed the previous day, and Rubio said they would continue "today and tomorrow."

He said one issue under discussion is the establishment of "pilot zones," under which Lebanese forces would enter areas currently under Israeli occupation, establish control and maintain security before moving on to the next pilot zone.

Iran has demanded that Israeli forces withdraw from their occupied positions in southern Lebanon before follow-on negotiations to implement the US-Iran memorandum of understanding can proceed.

Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament and head of Iran's negotiating delegation, pressed for an Israeli withdrawal on Wednesday, saying "a truce in Lebanon is as important to us as a truce for Iran, and ending the war in Lebanon is as important as ending the war for Iran."

On the resumption of International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear inspections, Rubio said it "is a promise Iran made and a promise that must be kept," adding that inspectors must be allowed to return to Iran "as soon as possible."

Regarding Iran's push to collect transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio said "the entire world would oppose any mechanism that charges for the use of an international waterway," and that he knew of no country that supported imposing tolls or fees on passage through the strait.

Asked about the absence of any provision in the MOU limiting Iran's missile and drone capabilities, Rubio said the United States would "not do anything that undermines the security of our longstanding allies in the region," referring to Gulf states.

Rubio said working-level talks with Iran on denuclearization and other issues would be held in Switzerland on June 29 or 30, proceeding in separate tracks covering nuclear matters and sanctions.

"They are divided into several thematic working groups. They will go back to Switzerland," he said. "The working groups will reconvene, and I think it will be on the 30th."

The United States and Iran signed the MOU on June 14, held senior-level talks at the Bürgenstock resort in Switzerland over the following weekend, and concluded their first working-level meetings through Tuesday.

On concerns that Iran could use revenue from a 60-day sanctions waiver on oil sales for military purposes, Rubio said it was "a give-and-take process" tied to Iran's compliance with its denuclearization commitments.

He added that "if they don't keep their promises, the president has a variety of options," including reversing the sanctions relief.

On the partial easing of oil sanctions on Russia during the war, Rubio said it "was a temporary measure intended to help stabilize global markets," and that ending the relief was "certainly an option available to the president" given that oil prices are falling.

"Ultimately, as the expiration date approaches, it will be a decision the president has to make," he said. "If that trend continues, he will have to take it into account when he makes his decision."


mokiya@heraldcorp.com