U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Thursday that Iran must “walk away” from uranium enrichment, long-range missile development, and its sponsorship of terrorism if it is to reach a nuclear deal with the United States. His comments came as a fourth round of nuclear talks was postponed.
Speaking in a Fox News interview, Rubio emphasized the core issues dividing the two countries in the ongoing nuclear dispute. “They have to walk away from sponsoring terrorists, helping the Houthis in Yemen, building long-range missiles, and they have to walk away from enrichment,” Rubio said, referencing Iran’s missile and uranium enrichment activities, which the U.S. argues could be used for nuclear weapons development.
While Iran insists it will not relinquish its missile programme or its uranium enrichment activities, arguing its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, Rubio argued that Iran should instead import enriched uranium for its energy needs rather than enriching it domestically.
“If you have the ability to enrich at 3.67%, it only takes a few weeks to get to 20%, then 60%, and eventually 80-90%—the level needed for a weapon,” Rubio explained.
Iran maintains it is entitled to enrich uranium under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and denies any intent to develop nuclear weapons.
Additionally, Rubio said that any future agreement would require American inspectors to have full access to all Iranian facilities, including military sites, to ensure compliance.
On Thursday, a senior Iranian official confirmed to Reuters that the scheduled fourth round of talks in Rome had been postponed, with a new date dependent on the U.S.’s approach.