As expectations of a breakthrough in US-Iran talks rise and amid President Donald Trump’s warnings to Tehran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington’s first choice remains diplomacy, but made clear that military options remain available if negotiations collapse.
In an interview with India Today TV, Rubio said the Trump administration’s preferred route was negotiations but stressed that the President’s core objective remained unchanged: Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.
“As long as Donald Trump is President of the United States, it will always be our preference to settle our differences with other countries diplomatically, through engagement, through negotiation,” Rubio said.
But he added that diplomacy should not be mistaken for flexibility on fundamentals. “The President’s made that very clear – Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said.
His comments came amid speculation over what Washington would do if ongoing efforts to secure an agreement with Tehran fail. Asked whether that could mean a return to a military option or ‘Operation Fury 2.0’, Rubio declined to describe any specific operational plan but indicated that force remained an available option.
“The President wants to make sure that Iran never has a nuclear weapon. He would prefer to address it through negotiated diplomatic means and we’re going to exhaust every opportunity to do that,” he said.
“But ultimately, that option exists there for the President if that doesn’t work out. That is not our preference. Our first choice is to do this through a negotiated agreement and that’s what we’re working towards,” he added.
The US Secretary of State also sought to frame the current moment as an opportunity for Tehran, while warning that responsibility for any collapse in diplomacy would rest with Iran. “If these efforts don’t work out, it will not be the fault of the United States or our allies in the Gulf. It will be 100 per cent Iran’s fault,” he said.
Beyond the nuclear issue, Rubio devoted significant attention to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy and shipping corridors.
Calling Iran’s actions on the Hormuz “illegal, unlawful, reckless, dangerous and unacceptable”, Rubio argued that the international community must push back against any attempt to control access to global trade routes.
“What they’re doing in the Strait is illegal, unlawful, reckless, dangerous, and unacceptable. I think the whole world needs to say that,” he said.
Rubio rejected the idea that any state could dominate international waterways or impose conditions on commercial shipping. “There can’t be a system in which a country takes over an international waterway, blows up ships that don’t agree to pay them a toll. That cannot happen. That cannot be normalised,” he said.
He added that concerns about freedom of navigation extended beyond traditional US allies. “India is saying that. The US is saying that. Even the Chinese told us last week when we were over there that there can’t be a system like this,” he stressed.
According to Rubio, reopening the Strait of Hormuz is the immediate priority before moving towards broader negotiations. “The Strait needs to be open immediately and fully. We cannot allow a system in which they charge tolls and threaten to blow up commercial ships,” he said.
Rubio then outlined what he described as the three essential components of any future agreement with Iran.
First, Tehran must never commit to pursuing nuclear weapons. Second, there must be long-term restrictions on uranium enrichment. Third, both sides must agree on what happens to Iran’s existing stockpile of highly enriched uranium, he said.
“There’s no reason to have 60 per cent enriched uranium unless you want to turn it into 90 per cent enriched uranium and weaponise it,” the Secretary of State added.
He acknowledged that negotiations would be difficult and highly technical, but said Iran could receive benefits if it reached an agreement.
“Those are highly technical issues. It’ll take time to work through those. And obviously, there’ll be benefits for Iran if they agree in those negotiations,” he said.
For now, the Trump administration’s message appears to be calibrated pressure: keep the shipping lanes open, push Tehran into serious talks and preserve military leverage while giving diplomacy space. Whether that produces a deal, or opens the door to a tougher phase of confrontation may depend on how both sides move in the coming weeks.
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