The U.S. has warned that Iran’s refusal to address its ballistic missile programme complicates efforts to secure progress at a new round of indirect nuclear negotiations in Geneva.
Speaking to reporters on St. Kitts in the Caribbean,U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tehran’s position raises serious concerns beyond the nuclear file.
“It’s also important to remember that Iran refuses to talk about the ballistic missiles to us or to anyone, and that’s a big problem,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to St. Kitts.
He said Iran holds “thousands of short-range ballistic missiles” capable of threatening American forces and regional partners, and cited naval assets that could endanger maritime traffic and U.S. operations.
Rubio questioned Tehran’s insistence on uranium enrichment.
“They don’t need to enrich in order to have nuclear energy. They don’t need nuclear energy, by the way, they have plenty of natural gas,” he said.
Referring to enrichment facilities built deep underground, he added, “You would have to lack common sense to not know what that means.”
He stressed that the upcoming discussions would centre on nuclear matters and described them as another diplomatic opportunity.
Meanwhile, the White House is maintaining pressure on Tehran while keeping diplomacy on the table.
In a separate interview with Fox News, JD Vance said Washington’s priority is to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability.
“Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said, adding that the administration is hopeful a negotiated solution can be reached, while retaining the option to use other measures if talks fail.
Vance also said U.S. intelligence has observed signs that Iran may be trying to restore elements of its atomic infrastructure after strikes last year that Washington says targeted key facilities.
On the diplomatic front, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Switzerland for the third round of mediated talks, and will meet Oman's Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Albusaidi ahead of negotiations.
Iranian state media said the discussions focused on sanctions relief and technical aspects of the nuclear programme. Tehran maintains its activities are for peaceful purposes and has rejected expanding the talks to include missile systems or regional military alliances.
The diplomatic effort comes amid increased U.S. military deployments in the Middle East and Iranian warnings that any strike would trigger retaliation against U.S. assets and strategic waterways.
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The United States and Iran clashed at the United Nations on Monday over Tehran's nuclear programme and its selection to be one of dozens of vice presidents at a month-long conference to review the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
It's doubtful that Iran's proposal on resolving the two-month war will be accepted by President Donald Trump, an official source said, dampening hopes for a resolution to the conflict that has disrupted energy supplies, fuelled inflation, and killed thousands.
The death toll from a train collision near Indonesia’s capital Jakarta rose to 14 women on Tuesday (28 April), with 84 people injured, after rescuers completed efforts to free passengers trapped in the wreckage, the state rail operator said.
The months-long disarmament process involving the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has made little tangible progress, Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın has said.
Disney+ has debuted Disney Animation’s Songs in Sign Language, a new collection of animated musical sequences reimagined in American Sign Language (ASL), released on 27 April to mark National Deaf History Month.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war. Tehran said the U.S. should remove obstacles to a deal, including its blockade of Iran's ports. Meanwhile Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrives in St Petersburg for talks.
Market reaction to DeepSeek’s preview of its next-generation artificial intelligence model has been relatively subdued, in sharp contrast to the global shock triggered by its breakthrough releases last year.
Adidas shares rose after Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe delivered a historic performance at the London Marathon on Sunday (26 April), becoming the first athlete to run an official marathon in under two hours.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran can contact the United States directly if it wishes to negotiate an end to the conflict between the two countries, now in its second month.
The death toll from a train collision near Indonesia’s capital Jakarta rose to 14 women on Tuesday (28 April), with 84 people injured, after rescuers completed efforts to free passengers trapped in the wreckage, the state rail operator said.
The man accused of opening fire at a Washington dinner attended by Donald Trump was charged on Monday (27 April) with attempting to assassinate the U.S. President and could face life in prison if convicted.
Britain’s King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in the United States on Monday afternoon for a four-day visit. The visit has gained added prominence following the White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting and growing tensions between the close allies.
King Charles and Queen Camilla have begun a landmark visit to the U.S., aimed at reinforcing ties between the two allies at a sensitive moment. The trip comes as security concerns rise in Washington and political tensions persist over foreign policy.
China is stepping up efforts to boost domestic spending and U.S. retail giant Walmart is expanding across the country to meet demand.
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