Simon Lewis and Humela Pamuk
Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis/Washington, February 25 (Reuters) – Top Trump administration officials said on Wednesday that Iran posed a significant threat to the United States ahead of Thursday’s talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.
U.S. and Iranian negotiators will meet in Geneva on Thursday for the third round of nuclear talks this year, as the United States builds one of the largest military deployments in the Middle East ahead of a possible attack on the Islamic Republic.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Donald Trump accused Iran of restarting its nuclear program, working to build missiles that could reach the United States “very soon” and of being responsible for roadside explosions that have killed American service members and civilians.
He also warned that it would be a “very bad day” for Iran if a deal could not be reached to resolve a long-standing dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran has threatened to attack U.S. bases in the region if attacked.
Rubio says Iran is trying to rebuild nuclear program
Rubio, speaking to reporters during a visit to St. Kitts and Nevis, echoed Trump’s comments.
“After their nuclear program was dismantled, they were told not to try to restart it, and here they are,” Rubio said. “You can see they’re always trying to rebuild elements of it. They’re not getting rich now, but they’re working towards getting to the point where they eventually will be.”
Trump ordered strikes against Iran last year and claimed in July that they had “destroyed” the country’s nuclear facilities. His aides have recently claimed that Iran is very close to possessing the capability to build a nuclear bomb.
Rubio said Iran also possesses a large number of ballistic missiles that threaten U.S. interests in the region and that it is trying to develop weapons that can reach the U.S. mainland.
“In addition to their nuclear program, they have these conventional weapons that are designed entirely to attack the United States and attack Americans if they want to… As we speak, they now have weapons that can reach much of Europe,” Rubio said.
Rubio said Tehran’s insistence not to discuss ballistic missiles at the Geneva talks was a “big problem.” He added that while he hoped to make progress, he did not want to characterize Thursday’s talks as “an opportunity for the next meeting.” “Hopefully they’re productive, but ultimately we have to have conversations about more than just the nuclear program.”
Iran has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, according to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The Iranian missile has a self-propelled range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), which officials have said in the past is sufficient to protect the country because it covers the distance to Israel.
“Iran cannot have nuclear weapons”
Earlier in the day, Vice President J.D. Vance said that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would meet with the Iranian delegation in Geneva on Thursday to assess whether a deal could be reached. “The principle is very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Vance told reporters.
On Tuesday, Trump also blamed the government in Tehran for the deaths of thousands of protesters during recent anti-government demonstrations, although the specific number he cited — 32,000 people killed — was far higher than most public estimates.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrived in Geneva on Wednesday and met with the mediator, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Busaidi, ahead of Thursday’s talks, Iran Press TV reported.
The report said Araqchi raised “Iran’s views and considerations on the nuclear issue and the lifting of illegal unilateral U.S. sanctions” to Oman’s foreign minister.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Andrea Shalal, Steve Holland and Nandita Bose; Additional reporting by Hatem Maher in Cairo; Writing by Jan Wolfe and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Chris Reese, Bill Berkrot and Lincoln Feast.)
