PARIS – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described Egypt as a reliable and trusted partner of the United States, praising Cairo’s balanced approach in its relations with Washington.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in France, Rubio said Egypt pursued a balanced policy towards the United States and remained a dependable partner on all issues, stressing that foreign policy required a careful balance of positions.
Commenting on the trilateral US-Russia-Ukraine talks hosted in Abu Dhabi, Rubio expressed optimism that the negotiations would make progress, noting that extensive efforts were under way.
He stressed the importance of European involvement, saying European countries should be represented at the negotiating table and kept fully informed at every stage, given that the outcome would affect Europe as well as Russia and Ukraine.
Rubio said a dedicated US team was working closely with all parties to advance the negotiations. He added that Tuesday’s meetings focused primarily on the Middle East and Ukraine, while further talks were scheduled to take place in Doha in December.
He confirmed that five European Union representatives were taking part in the Abu Dhabi negotiations, underscoring the role of European partners in achieving a lasting resolution to the conflict.
Turning to Iran, Rubio said the naval blockade and US sanctions had severely affected Tehran, describing the current situation as unsustainable.
He claimed that Iran had only a limited amount of oil remaining from its pre-blockade reserves and would be unable to secure further supplies once these were depleted.
Rubio added that Iran was attempting to circumvent US sanctions but would fail, warning that the country’s economic situation would deteriorate further over time.
He described the naval blockade as effective and said it was operating as intended by US President Donald Trump, with full support from Washington.
Rubio said Iran wanted to reach an agreement and was calling for negotiations but would eventually have to make concessions. He added that even the most hardline figures within the Iranian regime had been affected by US sanctions.
He stressed that Washington remained open to all options to secure Iranian concessions. While the United States welcomed mediation efforts by third parties, it would not accept any agreement that failed to meet its conditions.
Rubio concluded by reiterating that Washington did not seek war but would not accept an unacceptable agreement. He said the shared objective was to end the conflict while ensuring that Iran did not feel threatened, describing this as an essential condition for successful negotiations.
