US Secretary of State Urges Iran to Halt Nuclear Ambitions as Part of Negotiations

Washington (ANTARA) - United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Iran to commit to ending its nuclear ambitions amid ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran. “I think they must take real steps to end any ambitions to possess nuclear weapons,” said Secretary Rubio to Al Jazeera on Monday (30/3), in response to a question about the minimum concessions Tehran would need to end the conflict. If the Islamic Republic of Iran wishes to produce nuclear energy, it must comply with “established” mechanisms, as done by several countries importing nuclear fuel. “They must not have a system that allows converting nuclear into weapons,” he added. On that same day, Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the country’s parliament is considering Iran’s withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iran reaffirmed that there are no efforts to create nuclear weapons. However, Iran denied the existence of direct talks, stating that they have only received messages expressing America’s desire to engage in dialogue. Previously, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff stated that a 15-point peace plan had been forwarded by America to Iran via Pakistan. Witkoff claimed that the plan had received a “positive reaction,” while Iran’s Foreign Ministry described the US plan as unrealistic.