Iran must “walk away” from uranium enrichment, long-range missile development, and support for militant groups, and it must allow American inspectors full access to its facilities, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday, following the postponement of a new round of nuclear negotiations.
Speaking in a Fox News interview, Rubio emphasized the core issues dividing the U.S. and Iran in their ongoing efforts to resolve the nuclear dispute. President Donald Trump has warned that military action against Iran remains an option if talks fail.
“They have to walk away from sponsoring terrorism, from supporting the Houthis in Yemen, from building long-range missiles that serve no purpose other than delivering nuclear weapons, and from uranium enrichment altogether,” Rubio stated.
Iran has consistently rejected such demands, insisting it will not abandon its missile program or uranium enrichment activities. While enrichment can be used to produce fuel for civilian nuclear power, it can also be used to make weapons-grade material. On Thursday, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that the fourth round of talks scheduled in Rome for Saturday had been postponed, with a new date contingent on the U.S. position.
Rubio argued that Iran should rely on importing enriched uranium for its civilian energy needs rather than producing it domestically. “If you can enrich to 3.67%, it’s only a matter of weeks before you can reach 20%, then 60%, and eventually the 80 to 90% needed for a weapon,” he said.
Iran maintains it has the right to enrich uranium under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and denies pursuing nuclear weapons.
Rubio also insisted that any agreement must include unrestricted access for American inspectors, including to military sites, as part of a robust verification regime.
