WASHINGTON, May 18. /TASS/. The United States wants Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions and intends to pursue this goal through peaceful means, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with CBS News.
He was asked whether Washington demands that Iran halt uranium enrichment at any level, including for peaceful purposes. "If you're able to enrich at any level you've now are basically able to enrich at weapons grade very quickly. I mean, that's just a fundamental fact, and everyone knows it, and that was the problem with the Obama deal. But the end goal here is simple, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon," he answered.
The Secretary of State added that US President Donald Trump would prefer to resolve disagreements with Tehran through negotiations rather than military action. "And the president's preference, because he doesn't like war, the president's preference is to achieve that through a peaceful negotiation. In fact, the president's preference is not only that Iran not pursue nuclear weapons, but that Iran be a rich, peaceful and prosperous country where its people can be happy. He wants them to have a better future," Rubio said.
The United States and Iran, mediated by Oman, have conducted four rounds of negotiations aimed at resolving disagreements surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program. The first round took place on April 12 in Muscat, the second on April 19 in Rome, and the third and fourth rounds were held on April 26 and May 11, respectively, again in the Omani capital.