US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that diplomatic contacts with Iran have continued despite escalating tensions in the Middle East, stressing that President Donald Trump prefers diplomatic and peaceful solutions whenever possible.

Axar.az reports that Rubio made the remarks while speaking at a G20 event in Atlanta, US.

“It's up to the president to make decisions with regards to those sorts of things. There are multiple talks. Talks have actually never stopped. There's been active conversations going both in some cases directly but often through intermediaries. And the president's preference in any challenge around the world is to try to solve it diplomatically and peacefully if possible,” Rubio said.