Secretary of State Marco Rubio toughened his tone against Iran this Thursday by ensuring that the Islamic Republic "begs every day" to reach an agreement with Washington, although he maintained that the Iranian regime is not willing to fulfill the commitments it would assume in an eventual negotiation.

The statements were made during the meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), held in Manila, Philippines, where the conflict between the United States and Iran became one of the issues that dominated the diplomatic agenda, despite the fact that the meeting was focused on the security of the Indo-Pacific.

“The problem with Iran is that every time they reach an agreement (…) they break it or want to change it,” Rubio told reporters. The head of US diplomacy added that Tehran “will continue to pay the price” of prolonging the conflict and warned that this cost “rises more and more every night.”

Rubio also stated that the Iranian government constantly sends messages to Washington through third countries with the aim of reopening negotiations, although he avoided identifying which ones. According to the official, “they are running out” of intermediaries to transmit these requests.

In one of his harshest statements, he described the Iranian regime as “a country ruled by radical clerics” and “evil lunatics,” while asserting that Iran's industrial infrastructure is being “decimated” by the US military offensive.

The statements reproduce the speech of President Donald Trump, who in recent days also maintained that Iran seeks to negotiate while continuing to breach agreed commitments. Rubio insisted that “Iran is not ready to reach an agreement,” despite the fact that Washington keeps open the possibility of a diplomatic solution if Tehran changes its position.

Although Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding that allowed a temporary ceasefire to be established, hostilities have revived in recent weeks. A few days ago, Donald Trump even declared the truce over by accusing Iran of failing to comply with the agreement, a decision that gave way to a new phase of US attacks against Iranian targets. The Islamic Republic responded with bombing attacks against Gulf countries allied to Washington, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar, increasing the risk of a regional escalation.

It should be noted that the war also occupied a central place in the ASEAN meeting due to its impact on trade and global energy supply, so Rubio sought to reassure Asian allies by ensuring that, despite the conflict in the Middle East, the United States maintains its commitment to the security of the Indo-Pacific and its regional partners intact.