Rubio says US will only provide sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for nuclear concessions

Rubio says US will only provide sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for nuclear concessions Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 06/02/2026 - 17:45 US top diplomat rejects Iranian efforts to impose toll in Hormuz and rules out economic relief as part of temporary ceasefire US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing concerning the fiscal year 2027 budget for the State Department, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on 2 June 2026 (Brendan Smialowski/AFP) Off US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Iran would only receive sanctions relief if it surrenders its nuclear programme, brushing aside Tehran’s demands to obtain economic relief as part of a phased ceasefire. "Iran is being sanctioned because they've highly enriched uranium. Iran is being sanctioned because of their nuclear activities; if they agree to give up those things, there will be sanctions relief,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday.