Top US diplomat says president would rather deal with Tehran through talks, but would use force if needed; Iran says it will consider ‘opportunities,’ will soon respond to US threats

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that President Donald Trump will order military action against Iran if necessary to prevent it from getting a nuclear weapon, albeit reluctantly, as Tehran said it would soon respond to the recent threats from the US over its nuclear program.

“If you asked him, he would tell you he would much prefer to work this out diplomatically without a war,” Rubio told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in an interview. ”

“But if you force him to choose between a nuclear Iran or taking action, the president has been clear he will take action,” he asserted.

Hewitt had asked Rubio whether the US would act alone “if it comes to blows.”

“If the president makes the decision that we need to take action to prevent Iran from having a nuclear capability, we have the ability to do that, and to go further, perhaps even threaten the regime,” the top US diplomat added.

If diplomacy with Iran fails, “then I have to turn these things over to Pete Hegseth at the Department of Defense,” Rubio said.

On Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that Tehran will consider the “opportunities” as well as the threats in a letter from Trump that urged it to reach a new nuclear deal and will soon respond.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rejected Trump’s letter last week as deceptive, saying Trump’s excessive demands would “tighten the knot of sanctions and increase pressure on Iran.”

But Araqchi said Tehran was still evaluating the letter and weighing its reply.

“Trump’s letter was more a threat, but it claims to have opportunities. We paid attention to all points held in the letter and will consider both threat and opportunity in our response,” Araqchi said.

“There is an opportunity behind every menace.”

On Wednesday, Axios reported that Trump’s letter gave Iran a two-month deadline to reach a nuclear deal or face unspecified consequences.

Araqchi said Tehran would respond to Trump’s letter in the coming days via appropriate channels, rejecting any direct negotiations as long as Washington levels “pressure, threats and sanctions.”

In his first term, Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and major powers that had placed strict limits on Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. After Trump pulled out in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions, Iran breached and far surpassed those limits in the development of its nuclear program.

Western powers accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons by enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity, above what they say is justifiable for a civilian program.