Iran would “hold the world hostage” if it possessed a nuclear weapon

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Iran would “hold the world hostage” if it possessed a nuclear weapon, stressing that “someone must take action to do something about it.”

Rubio told reporters on Tuesday: “They will do to the world through nuclear weapons exactly what they are doing now to the Strait of Hormuz.”

The chief American diplomat added that President Donald Trump finds it “puzzling” that not everyone sees this as “an unacceptable outcome and an unacceptable risk.”

Regarding the negotiations, Rubio said: “It is not necessary to have a written agreement already,” adding: “But we must reach a diplomatic solution that defines very clearly the topics they are prepared to negotiate, and the extent of concessions they intend to make at the beginning to make these talks meaningful.”

Rubio stated that although Iran “has always stated that it does not want a nuclear weapon… they simply do not mean what they say.”

He accused Tehran of “taking all the steps” that any country would take if it “seeks to have a nuclear weapons program,” pointing in this regard to Iran’s efforts to develop “long-range missiles” and its construction of underground centrifuges for enrichment activities.

Rubio said Tehran now has an opportunity to “make clear” that it does not want to possess a nuclear weapon.