Rubio says Iran can pursue civilian nuclear program if it abandons enrichment

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Iran can pursue a civilian nuclear program if it agrees to abandon uranium enrichment.

“If Iran wants a civil nuclear program, they can have one just like many other countries in the world have one, and that is they import enriched material," Rubio said in an interview with The Free Press podcast.

"There's a pathway to a civil, peaceful nuclear program if they want one, but if they insist on enriching, then they will be the only country in the world that doesn't have a weapons program but is 'enriching' — that's problematic," he added.

He criticized the 2015 nuclear agreement brokered under the Obama administration for offering Tehran “permanent concessions” in exchange for “temporary" concessions.

Rubio emphasized that the US does not seek war.

“We do not want to see war. This is not a president who campaigned on starting wars,” he said.

"He (President Donald Trump) would prefer that there not be a need to resort to military force, either by us or anybody else. He would prefer that it be something that we can negotiate," he stressed.

Rubio cautioned that any military action could trigger a broader conflict in the region and reiterated the administration's commitment to diplomacy.

If there is a chance of peace, we're going to give peace and a peaceful resolution to this challenge every opportunity to succeed,” he said. “I would tell everybody that we're a long ways away from any sort of agreement with Iran.”

“We recognize it's difficult and hard. Oftentimes, unfortunately, peace is. But we're committed to achieving a peaceful outcome that's acceptable to everyone,” he added.

Iran and the US held two rounds of negotiations in Oman and Italy earlier this month, with both countries describing the talks as “constructive.”

Trump has threatened military action against Iran if a new nuclear agreement is not reached to replace the 2015 nuclear deal.