The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, held a press briefing on the current situation with Iran and more. Key notes:
There won't be a bad deal. Otherwise, the Iranians will simply continue to lead themselves into poverty (the blockade will continue).
The economic campaign against Iran is so successful that Trump does not need to launch extensive military operations.
The economic damage caused to Iran and the police today is unprecedented, and it continues to accumulate.
I tell you that the Iranian demands are completely disconnected from reality. We appreciate that this situation may change, and if so, we will be ready to act through diplomatic channels.
Iran demands compensation. It is Iran that has to pay reparations, because it is the one that destabilized the region. The Iranians are demanding planes of cash, and as the president has made clear, that won't happen.
The economic pressure is going to get even worse. Thus, for example, Iran still has a small number, only a handful, of oil barrels left on the water. Once that dries up, almost all of their oil revenue will dry up.
The economic pain being caused to Iran right now and to this regime is extraordinary, and it is interfering. It grows daily, as do these sanctions. They get worse. Over time, they become more painful as time goes on.
This radical regime of lunatics is forcing it on their people. They are destroying their country.
When Obama gave Iran sanctions relief, they didn't use that money to build hospitals and universities. They used that money to build weapons.
Why should we talk to Iran about Lebanon? It's none of their business. We are talking about all the instability in the Middle East: Yemen, Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza, Syria. Behind them all is the Iranian regime.
A full briefing is attached.