Marco Rubio orders US officials to stop commentary that could strain Iran talks

The US secretary of state Marco Rubio told ambassadors in the Middle East to stop making public comments that could inflame tensions and undermine Donald Trump’s pressure on Iran to relinquish its capacity to produce a nuclear weapon, according to a memo obtained by the Guardian.“Given rising tensions in the region, Chiefs of Mission and embassies at addressee posts must refrain from public statements, interviews, or social media activity that could in any way inflame regional audiences, prejudice sensitive political issues, or complicate US relationships,” the cable said.“Chiefs of Mission are expected to avoid all commentary on issues that could heighten tensions or create confusion about US policy. Discipline in public messaging is essential, especially at this time,” it added.Inside the administration, the directive was widely interpreted as a pointed rebuke of the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, following his recent appearance on former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s podcast in which he said Israel had a biblical right to much of the land in the Middle East.While the unclassified cable signed by Rubio did not single out Huckabee by name, its circulation to him and its timing on 23 February – coming two days after his remarks drew condemnation across the Middle East – appeared to leave little doubt about its intended target.The directive came as White House officials reacted with alarm to Huckabee’s comments, concerned it could harden Iran’s position ahead of last-ditch negotiations this week with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner for a nuclear deal to stave off a military conflict.“The president is starting to get pissed with Huckabee for interfering with his negotiation,” said a person familiar with the matter. “And he hasn’t forgotten that his daughter refused to endorse him in the last campaign.”The latest round of talks between the US and Iran, which took place in Geneva on Thursday, appeared to be largely unsuccessful. Witkoff and Kushner returned to Washington disappointed, according to an administration official familiar with the matter.In talks that lasted all evening, Witkoff and Kushner pushed Iran to agree to destroy its three main nuclear enrichment sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, which were the targets of Trump’s bombing campaign last year, and deliver its remaining stockpile to the US.They also insisted that any deal must be forever, without the sunset provisions that phased out restrictions in the 2015 accord negotiated with the Obama administration. Trump withdrew from that agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, during his first term.The Guardian has previously reported that Trump’s decision on whether to authorize further airstrikes will hinge in part on whether Witkoff and Kushner conclude that Tehran is stalling for time. Still, Iran has rejected proposals to stop enrichment or to ship its enriched uranium abroad.Rubio is also expected to travel to Israel on Monday to meet with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a person familiar with the matter. A spokesperson for the state department declined to comment.Huckabee’s comments came during a two-hour episode of The Tucker Carlson Show where he discussed the covenant in the Book of Genesis between God’s covenant with Abraham, considered the father of the Jewish people, about what land his descendants would inherit.The biblical text refers to territory between the “river of Egypt” and the Euphrates, though scholars differ on whether the former refers to the Nile or a riverbed in the Sinai – an interpretation that could encompass large parts of present-day Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey.Huckabee said he thought it would be fine if Israel “took it all”, a remark that drew sharp criticism from Arab leaders who criticized it as a violation of diplomatic norms. He added, however: “I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here today … they’re not asking to take it over.”