Rubio Warns Iran Is ‘Too Close for Comfort’ to Nuclear Weapons in Stark Interview
"They [Iran] have long-range missiles that they can deliver that weapon, those weapons, through. So this is a very grave risk. And they are enriching at that level, and they are openly doing it," the U.S. Secretary of State added.
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a sobering assessment of regional security, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Iran is “too close for comfort” to acquiring nuclear weapons and emphasized that the regime in Tehran remains the foremost sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East.
According to a transcript published by the U.S. Department of State, Rubio made these remarks during an interview on Fox News' “Hannity” program on May 15, 2025, conducted while he was in Antalya, Türkiye.
Rubio stated that the Iranian regime has effectively reached the threshold of becoming a nuclear weapon state, having enriched uranium to 60 percent purity. “Once you’re at 60, you’re 90 percent of the way there,” Rubio stressed, noting that achieving weapons-grade enrichment—typically considered at 90 percent—would only require a short technical leap. “They are at the threshold of a nuclear weapon. If they decided to do so, they could do so very quickly,” he warned.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Rubio added that Iran is stockpiling this enriched material and possesses long-range missile systems capable of delivering a nuclear payload. “This is a very grave risk,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity, “and they are openly doing it.” He pointed to the fact that the Iranian parliament has passed legislation mandating enrichment following the collapse of the JCPOA, the 2015 nuclear agreement brokered under the Obama administration.
According to the State Department’s transcript, Rubio was unequivocal that Iran’s clerical regime—rather than its people—is the root of regional instability. “Our problem is not with the Iranian people,” Rubio clarified. “Our problem is with a clerical regime that is behind every problem in the region: Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, militias out of Iraq and Syria… they all track back to the Iranian regime.”
Rubio underscored that the U.S. President has extended an opportunity for peace and prosperity to Iran, but time is running out. “This offer won’t be around forever,” he warned. “At some point, decisions will have to be made about more maximum pressure and other options because Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.”
He said the final decision rests with Iran’s Supreme Leader and expressed hope that Tehran would choose diplomacy over confrontation. “But in the end the decision lies in the hands of one person, and that’s the supreme leader in Iran. And I hope he chooses the path of peace and prosperity, not a destructive path,” Rubio stated.
While the administration favors a diplomatic resolution, Rubio acknowledged the President’s resolve: “They’ll either do it the easy way, or it will be done for them.” He added that Steve Witkoff, the President’s special envoy, is leading the negotiations and doing a commendable job under difficult circumstances.
Turning to the broader region, Rubio reinforced the administration’s support for a stronger NATO, crediting the U.S. President’s 2018 challenge to alliance members with renewed defense commitments. According to the State Department transcript, he stated that for the first time, nearly all NATO members are meeting or exceeding the 2 percent GDP defense spending threshold, with many aiming for 5 percent within a decade.
On the war in Ukraine, Rubio echoed the President’s belief that a breakthrough in peace negotiations would require the U.S. President to sit directly across the table from Russian President Vladimir Putin. “That’s the only chance we have at peace at this point,” Rubio said. “Nothing is going to happen until President Trump sits across the table from Vladimir Putin and puts it on the line and puts it on the table.”
Rubio also praised what he described as one of the most powerful speeches of the U.S. President’s term, delivered recently in Saudi Arabia. According to Rubio, the President stressed a vision of “more building and less bombing” and reaffirmed his identity as a “lover of peace” seeking to redirect military expenditures toward prosperity and human development.
The interview paints a picture of a U.S. administration deeply involved in high-stakes diplomacy, yet maintaining a posture of resolute deterrence toward Iran. As Rubio concluded, “Now people understand the urgency here because they are fairly close, too close for comfort, to a nuclear weapon. We have to roll that back one way or another, and we hope it’s peacefully.”
