Day 118 | US promises to protect Gulf states' interests in Iran talks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio promised the United States' Gulf allies that Washington would protect their interests as it seeks to hammer out a final settlement of the Middle East war in talks with Iran.

Rubio was on a regional tour to reassure the Gulf states, which were targeted by Tehran's missiles and drones during the conflict and saw their crucial oil and gas shipments effectively cut off by an Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran has emerged emboldened from the war, vowing not to relinquish control of the vital waterway and going so far as to call its initial deal with Washington to stop the fighting "a declaration of America's defeat".

The initial US-Iran deal, which sets out a 60-day negotiating process aimed at reaching a long-term agreement, failed to address Gulf nations' long-standing concerns about Iran's missile programme and regional proxies.

But Rubio insisted Washington was "not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies".

Tehran, however, has already portrayed the deal as a victory.

Its top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that the agreement, reached with the help of Pakistani mediation, was "the result of the resistance and authority of the brave Iranian nation".

"That is why the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding became a declaration of America's defeat," he said.

Both Rubio and Pakistan said that technical talks between the US and Iran were expected to resume in the coming days following a first round in Switzerland.

Rubio also insisted on Wednesday that the US was committed to preserving the pre-war status quo of toll-free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a substantial proportion of global oil and gas shipments.