NEW DELHI: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said talks with Iran had made “some progress” but reiterated Washington’s hardline position that Tehran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, as President Donald Trump convened his senior national security team amid rising speculation over potential military escalation.
“There’s been some progress made… Even as I speak to you now, there’s some work being done,” Rubio said. “This issue needs to be solved, as the President said, one way or the other. Iran can never have nuclear weapons.” He said that Washington’s conditions extended beyond broad diplomacy to specific nuclear constraints and regional security concerns. “The straits need to be opened without tolls. They need to turn over their highly enriched uranium… we need to address the issue of enrichment,” Rubio said, outlining the administration’s firm negotiating posture.
While reiterating pressure on Tehran, Rubio also said that diplomacy remained the preferred path. “The President’s preference is always to solve problems such as these through a negotiated diplomatic solution. That’s what we’re working on right now… We hope it’s done through the diplomatic route,” he added.
The remarks came as Trump held a high-level White House meeting with Vice President J D Vance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and other senior officials to assess options on Iran, including possible strikes if diplomacy collapses. According to Axios, internal discussions remain fluid, with negotiations described as “agonising” and “going back and forth every day” without decisive breakthrough.
The diplomatic track has also drawn in regional actors, with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir visiting Tehran alongside a Qatari delegation in a last-minute effort to narrow gaps. Trump, meanwhile, signalled both urgency and frustration, insisting Iran “cannot have a nuclear weapon” while warning that all options remain on the table if talks fail to produce results.