Swapna Kumbar , Bengaluru - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains the core issue amid stalled peace talks, rejecting Tehran's latest proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz without upfront nuclear concessions. At the same time, a UN review of the 2015 atomic treaty (JCPOA) has exposed sharp US-Iran divisions, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi praised Russia's diplomatic support during talks in Moscow.

Rubio, in a Fox News interview, dismissed Iran's Hormuz first peace offer as a stalling tactic by a radical clerical regime determined to build nuclear weapons, insisting no deal can succeed without addressing uranium enrichment and missile programs. The Trump administration appears cold to the proposal, with officials stressing that the nuclear threat to Israel and US interests overrides temporary Strait reopenings. Iranian FM Araghchi, fresh from Moscow, hailed Russia's backing for diplomacy and blamed US maximalism for past negotiation failures, positioning Tehran as open to talks but firm on sovereignty. At the UN, Security Council members remain split: Western powers push for snapback sanctions under Resolution 2231 (set to expire later this year), while Russia and China defend Iran's right to civilian nuclear energy. Live updates show fragile ceasefires holding but no breakthrough, with oil markets volatile amid Hormuz tensions.

Rubio's hardline stance cements the US position that Iran's nuclear program is non negotiable, even as Tehran leverages Russian support and UN forums to divide opponents. With JCPOA mechanisms nearing expiry, the clash risks reigniting full hostilities unless diplomacy bridges the atomic impasse leaving the Israel-Iran war's trajectory hanging on Washington's next move.