WASHINGTON, February 26. /TASS/. The US administration insist on discussing with Iran not only its nuclear dossier but also its conventional weapons, including ballistic missiles, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
"Iran possesses a very large number of ballistic missiles, particularly short-range ballistic missiles, that threaten the United States and our bases in the region, and our partners in the region, and all of our bases in the UAE and Qatar and Bahrain," he said. "And they also possess naval assets that threaten shipping and try to threaten the US Navy."
"And beyond just a nuclear program, they possess these conventional weapons," he stated, adding that "these things have to be addressed" at the talks.
According to Rubio, the next round of talks between the United States and Iran due to be held in Geneva on February 26 will be focused mainly on the nuclear dossier. "But it's also important to remember that Iran refuses, refuses to talk about the ballistic missiles to us or to anyone, and that's a big problem," he stressed.
He also claimed that Iran is "always trying to rebuild elements" of its nuclear program. "They're not enriching right now, but they're trying to get to the point where they ultimately can," he argued.
In January, the White House warned that it was ready to use force if Tehran fails to engage in talks aimed at reaching a "fair deal" under which Iran completely drops any plans to obtain nuclear weapons. The Iranian government has repeatedly said it had no plans of creating a nuclear bomb.
On February 17, the second round of negotiations between the US and Iran on the nuclear issue took place in Geneva, mediated by Oman. According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the parties reached mutual understanding on a number of issues, which could serve as a basis for a draft future agreement on the nuclear program. US Vice President JD Vance said that the talks went well on a number of aspects, but Tehran is not yet ready to accept some of the fundamental positions outlined by the White House. Earlier, the United States and Israel insisted that Iran not only scrap its nuclear program, but also stop producing ballistic missiles and supporting pro-Iranian forces in the Middle East. The third round of talks is scheduled for Thursday.