Rubio: Talks With Iran Must Include ‘Meaningful’ Discussions on Ballistic Missiles

U.S. ‍Secretary of State Marco ‌Rubio said on Wednesday ⁠that the venue for ‌talks with Iran was still being ‍worked through, saying Iran’s government had previously agreed ‍to a format for ‌a meeting on Friday in Turkey but appeared to have changed its mind.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is ready to ‌attend a meeting on Friday as planned, Rubio added.

“In order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they would have to include certain things, which include the range of their ballistic missiles, their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, their nuclear program, and the treatment of their own people,” he added.

Minutes after the press conference, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that talks with the U.S. in Oman will only be about Iran’s nuclear program, and said that talks on the ballistic missile program “are off the table.”

“At the end of the ‌day, the United ‍States is prepared to engage, ⁠and has always been prepared to engage with Iran,” he said in a news conference.

Rubio also added that Iran is spending its resources on terror and proxy groups, which in turn led to economic troubles that ignited the widespread protests that broke out in January against the regime.