Rubio Says Iran Can Have a Civilian Nuclear Program but Must Give up Uranium Enrichment

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 23 that President Donald Trump remains committed to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, but would prefer to do so through diplomacy rather than military action. Speaking in an interview with The Free Press, Rubio said the United States is willing to support Iran’s right to a civilian nuclear energy program, so long as it gives up domestic uranium enrichment—a process that can be used to produce weapons-grade material. “If Iran wants a civil nuclear program, they can have one, just like many other countries in the world have one, meaning they can import enriched material,” Rubio said. “But if they insist on enriching uranium themselves, then they will be the only country in the world that ‘doesn’t have a weapons program’ but is enriching. I think that’s problematic.”...