Key point
- We do not want a war: Rubio
- Says but Iran cannot have nukes
- Rubio expresses confidence Witkoff
ISLAMABAD: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the Trump administration is prepared to allow Iran to have a civil nuclear programme that relies exclusively on imported nuclear fuel.
The top US diplomat outlined a possible compromise with Tehran aimed at preventing it from building a nuclear weapon.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Rubio’s comments provide a window into the details of the Trump administration’s stance since closed-door nuclear talks with Tehran started earlier this month.
“We do not want a war,” Rubio told Bari Weiss on her Honestly podcast.
Negotiations
“We do not want to see war. This is not a president that campaigned on starting wars. And as he said very clearly, Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon, and he reserves every right to prevent that from happening, but he would prefer it not happen. He would prefer that there not be a need to resort to military force, either by us or anybody else. He would prefer that it’d be something that we can negotiate.”
“Willingness to talk”
He also expressed confidence in US special envoy Steve Witkoff, the leading American representative in the ongoing nuclear talks with Iran.
We do not want to see war. This is not a president that campaigned on starting wars. And as he said very clearly, Iran is not going to have a nuclear weapon.” – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
“The Iranians have shown a willingness to talk. We’re going to talk to them,” stressed Rubio, adding that “if Iran wants a civil nuclear program, they can have one just like many other countries in the world have one. That is, they import enriched material.”
The US diplomat underscored that how “complex” a war with Iran would be, explaining that, “Any military action at this point in the Middle East, whether it’s against Iran by us or anybody else, could in fact trigger a broader conflict.”
