Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned Tehran that President Trump would “take action” if nuclear diplomacy fails
US President Donald Trump is prepared to take military action against Iran and could go as far as threatening Tehran if diplomatic efforts to renew dialogue on the country’s nuclear program do not succeed, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.
During his first term, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal, meant to facilitate dialogue on Iran’s nuclear program, and imposed sanctions against Tehran. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has urged the Islamic Republic to reopen negotiations and has allegedly set a two-month deadline for Tehran to strike a new deal with Washington.
Speaking to radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, Rubio said that while Washington is still pursuing diplomacy, it is ready to act if Iran continues to develop its nuclear capabilities.
”If you asked [Trump], he would tell you he would much prefer to work this out diplomatically without a war,” Rubio said. “But if he has to take action to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear capability, he will. We have the ability to do that and to go further, perhaps even threaten the regime.”
Earlier this month, Trump confirmed that he had sent a letter to Iran’s leadership proposing new talks. According to media reports, the letter was delivered through United Arab Emirates President Mohammed Bin Zayed and is currently being reviewed in Tehran.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected the idea of renewed negotiations, dismissing the US proposal as an effort to “exert their dominance and impose what they want” instead of “solving issues.” He also rebuffed Trump’s threat to use force.
Earlier this month, Khamenei insisted that any accusations against Iran over its alleged failure to implement its part of the deal were “fundamentally flawed when divorced from the full context of the US withdrawal”. Tehran has repeatedly denied having nuclear weapon ambitions, insisting that its program is entirely peaceful.
Tehran has reportedly scaled down its compliance with the 2015 deal following Washington’s exit from the JCPOA. However in December 2024, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, claimed that Iran was “dramatically” accelerating its uranium enrichment, calling the development “very concerning.”
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