Marco Rubio said there are “some good signs” that a deal to end the Iran war could be in sight - but added that he doesn’t “want to be overly optimistic”, writes Sky News.

The US secretary of state added that while the talks are progressing - with Pakistani representatives travelling to Iran on Thursday - Washington is dealing with “a system that itself is a little fractured”.

Mr Rubio added that any diplomatic deal would be “unfeasible” if Iran imposes a toll on the Strait of Hormuz: “No one in the world is in favour of the tolling system. It can’t happen. It would be unacceptable. ⁠It would make ⁠a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that. So it’s a threat to the world if they were trying to do that, and it's completely illegal”.

Marco Rubio was speaking to reporters in Florida on Thursday as he boarded a flight to Sweden, where he will meet with NATO foreign ministers.

The Strait of Hormuz, which is a conduit for one-fifth of global oil exports, has effectively been blocked by Tehran since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on 28 February. The stand-off escalated last month when the US began blocking Iranian ports.