'They Have to Walk Away from Enrichment,' Rubio Lists Preconditions for Iran Nuclear Deal

By Kamaran Aziz

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — United States Secretary of State and interim National Security Advisor Marco Rubio has drawn a firm red line on the future of nuclear diplomacy with Iran, outlining stringent conditions for any potential agreement in a wide-ranging interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.

Speaking Thursday evening on the program “Hannity,” Rubio stated unequivocally that the United States would not tolerate a nuclear-armed Iran under any circumstances, and emphasized that the only viable deal must begin with Tehran's complete abandonment of uranium enrichment.

“Iran simply needs to say, we’ve agreed to no longer enrich,” Rubio said, adding that Iran has to also agree to say that “We’re going to have reactors because we want nuclear energy, and we’re going to import enriched uranium. That’s how dozens of countries do it, and Iran can too—if it truly doesn’t want a weapon.”

Rubio’s remarks came amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and renewed diplomatic discussions on containing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Analysts have warned that Tehran has reached the closest point in its nuclear development since the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018. Now back in office, President Donald Trump’s administration appears poised to push for a more uncompromising framework.

“The only countries in the world that enrich uranium are the ones that have nuclear weapons,” Rubio said. “If Iran continues enrichment, it’s because they’re on the path to a bomb. And we cannot live in a world where Iran has a nuclear weapon.”

Rubio made clear that any future agreement would require “anywhere, any place, anytime” inspections—including by American scientists and inspectors—and access to all Iranian facilities, particularly military sites.

“One of the failures of the Obama nuclear deal with Iran is that you could not inspect military sites,” he noted. “If you're making nuclear weapons, you would probably make them on a military site. Iran has had a secret nuclear program before, so if they’re serious, they shouldn’t fear inspectors—of any kind, including Americans.”

In the interview, Rubio sketched out a comprehensive set of demands: a full halt to enrichment, dismantling of long-range missile programs, cessation of support for terrorist proxies such as the Houthis, and the end of financing and arming militant groups throughout the region. “These are not unreasonable requests,” he added. “There are countries all over the world that have nuclear energy but don’t enrich, don’t build long-range missiles, and don’t sponsor terrorism. That path is there for them—it’s the path of peace.”

Describing President Trump as a “president of peace,” Rubio underlined that the administration seeks diplomacy, not war. “He doesn’t want conflict. None of us do. But we are prepared to do what is necessary to prevent a nuclear Iran,” he said.

However, Rubio also stressed that a “win” was still possible for Iran—if it chose to rejoin the global community. “They can actually have real economic development, they can have real investment in their country,” he said. “But they have to walk away from enrichment, from sponsoring terrorists, from building missiles. That’s the path forward—and I pray they take it.”

The interview marks one of the clearest articulations yet of the Trump administration’s Iran doctrine in its second term: pressure, deterrence, and non-negotiable inspections, backed by the credible threat of force.

Whether Tehran will engage with Washington under these conditions remains to be seen. But Rubio left no ambiguity about the stakes: “What cannot happen is to live in a world where Iran has a nuclear weapon.”