Rubio demands Iran ‘walk away’ from uranium enrichment, long-range missiles
The Cradle, May 2, 2025 ─
Iran has insisted that its enrichment of uranium and defense capabilities are ‘non-negotiable’ in nuclear talks with the US.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted on 1 May that Iran must “walk away” from both uranium enrichment and the development of long-range missiles.
“They have to walk away from sponsoring terrorists, they have to walk away from helping the Houthis (in Yemen), they have to walk away from building long-range missiles that have no purpose to exist other than having nuclear weapons, and they have to walk away from enrichment,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News.
His comments came as the fourth round of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, set to take place in Rome on Saturday, were postponed.
An Iranian official cited by Reuters said a new date for the talks would be set “depending on the US approach.”
Tehran has repeatedly affirmed that both its uranium enrichment and its defense capabilities are non-negotiable in the talks with the US.
While the first few rounds of negotiations were described as somewhat positive, Washington continues to step up pressure. Tehran had said it was giving diplomacy a chance, but from the start was wary of entering negotiations under the threat of continued sanctions and a potential military attack.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened that if a nuclear deal is not reached, the US will bomb Iran in a coordinated attack carried out alongside Israel.
Trump announced on Thursday his intention to make sure all purchases of Iranian oil and petrochemical products come to an end by imposing sanctions on any country buying from Iran.
“They will not be allowed to do business with the United States of America in any way, shape, or form,” the president said.
The State Department announced on 30 April that it is “sanctioning seven entities engaged in the trade of Iranian petroleum products and petrochemical products and is identifying two vessels as blocked property.”
“The sanctions that have been declared against the Iranian and non-Iranian individuals and companies on various pretexts during the past recent days clearly illustrated the American policy-makers’ insistence on law-breaking, violation of the rights and interests of the other nations, and also their attempt to disrupt the friendly and legal relations among the developing countries through economic terrorism,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in response.
Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqaei held Washington responsible for “the destructive consequences of the paradoxical actions and provocative statements.”
Rubio’s comments and the increased tension with Iran follow recent turbulence in the US security establishment.
US media reports on 1 May revealed that Trump is expected to remove National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and one of his top deputies, Alex Wong, from their posts, allegedly over the Signalgate scandal.
According to US officials who spoke with multiple western media outlets, Waltz and Wong are expected to step down after “losing the trust” of other officials and lacking support within the White House.
In late March, Waltz added the editor of The Atlantic magazine, Jeffrey Goldberg, to a private Signal chat describing details of a deadly US attack against Yemen, resulting in a leak.
Other top officials in the unsecured chat discussing US military action against Yemen included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Special Envoy to West Asia Steve Witkoff, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Yemen has been under daily US bombardment since 15 March. Earlier this week, Hegseth threatened Iran over alleged military support to Yemen’s Ansarallah.
“Message to IRAN: We see your LETHAL support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You know very well what the US Military is capable of – and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing,” Hegseth said.