In 2015, when then-Secretary of State John Kerry, among others, negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, Marco Rubio was a U.S. senator from Florida. Rubio told Kerry that he would support the “nuclear deal” with Iran if it were amended to state that the Islamic Republic of Iran recognized Israel. Kerry rejected the amendment.

Today, Rubio, now secretary of state, understands the many flaws of the JCPOA, which has since been terminated. He has a better, more serious anti-nuclear document to negotiate with the Iranians. If Rubio’s offer to Iran were identical to President Barack Obama’s JCPOA version with language that Iran would recognize Israel, it would be a giant step forward in U.S.-Iran relations that could lead to peace in the Middle East.