Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on Tuesday that the possibility of failure in the ongoing negotiations with Iran remains, stressing that the Trump administration does not view the talks as an easy task, but is still committed to the diplomatic path. During a briefing to members of Congress, Rubio said that the US administration “has no illusions about the ease of reaching an agreement with Iran,” emphasizing that “the possibility of failure remains, but Washington wants to give diplomacy a full chance.” He added that Iran “has not yet received any funds under the Memorandum of Understanding,” indicating continued adherence to the financial arrangements related to the ongoing talks.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Politico quoted informed sources as saying that Rubio and US envoy Steve Witkoff told US lawmakers that Tehran has not yet received any funds under the Memorandum of Understanding, while affirming the continuation of efforts to reach an agreement that prevents Iran from reaching high levels of uranium enrichment. The website added that Witkoff informed members of Congress that the technical team tasked with the nuclear negotiations left Switzerland for Qatar to continue technical and political consultations related to the agreement.

Fox News, citing a US official, reported that technical negotiations regarding the memorandum of understanding with Iran are scheduled to conclude this week. The official indicated that Wittkopf and Kushner will continue regional discussions on the various provisions of the memorandum, as part of efforts to de-escalate tensions and reach an understanding between the two sides.