US President Donald Trump told NBC News on Wednesday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “should be very worried” as Washington and Tehran prep for talks aimed at averting US military action against Iran.
Earlier on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was ready to meet Iran this week but discussions must cover its missile and nuclear programs as well as its support for regional militias.
“They’ve expressed an interest in meeting and talking. If they change their mind, we’re fine with that too,” Rubio told reporters, after Trump ordered a sharp military buildup near Iran’s coast and threatened to strike.
“In order for talks to actually lead to something meaningful, they will have to include certain things, and that includes the range of their ballistic missiles, that includes their sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, that includes their nuclear program and that includes the treatment of their own people,” he said.
Iran has repeatedly stressed that any negotiations must remain limited to its nuclear program, rejecting talks on its missile program or its support for regional proxies.
This comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, with the United States in recent days deploying an aircraft carrier group to the Middle East following a deadly crackdown on anti-government protests in Iran.
Tehran has acknowledged more than 3,000 deaths during the unrest.
The US-based HRANA rights groups says it has confirmed 6,872 deaths, most of them protesters killed by security forces, while other rights groups warn the true toll is likely far higher.
