US: Rubio and Vance warn of Iran’s threat ahead of talks

US and Iranian negotiators are set to meet for nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, with senior figures in Washington warning that Tehran could one day pose a military threat to the continental United States.

US: Rubio and Vance warn of Iran’s threat ahead of talks

US and Iranian negotiators are set to meet for nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, with senior figures in Washington warning that Tehran could one day pose a military threat to the continental United States.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Senior US figures including Secretary of State Marco Rubio have warned of the military threat posed by Iran

US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed on Wednesday that Iran was rebuilding and expanding its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and posed a major threat to US interests.

The warnings came a day after US President Donald Trump claimed in his State of the Union address that Iran would “soon” have the capability to strike the US mainland, and a day before US and Iranian representatives are due to meet for talks in Geneva, Switzerland.

“After their nuclear program was obliterated, they were told not to try to restart it, yet here they are,” said Rubio, referring to strikes carried out on Iranian nuclear facilities by US forces on June 22, 2025, during the twelve-day war between Iran and Israel.

“You can see them always trying to rebuild elements of it,” he continued. “They’re not enriching [uranium] right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can.”

Thursday’s negotiations in Geneva, the third round of nuclear talks this year, come as a US military build-up continues in the Middle East ahead of potential strikes against the Islamic Republic.

Vance: ‘Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon’
Tehran insists that its nuclear program is solely for civilian use, but Washington suspects the regime is attempting to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels.

“The ⁠principle is very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” said JD Vance.

In the event of a US attack, Iran has promised to make use of its right to self-defense by launching retaliatory strikes against US interests in the region, although Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had admitted that the country doesn’t have the capacity to strike the US mainland.
“Beyond just the nuclear program, they possess these conventional weapons that are solely designed to attack America and attack ​Americans if they so choose to do so,” said Rubio.

“They already possess weapons that can reach much of Europe,” he continued, claiming that Iran was also trying to develop weapons that could reach the continental United States.