Washington: Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday indicated that the Trump administration could consider sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian assets as part of a future nuclear agreement, if Tehran agrees to surrender highly enriched uranium and permanently curb its enrichment activities.
The comments offered one of the clearest public signals yet that the administration is prepared to use sanctions relief as leverage in negotiations aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said any future agreement would be tied to verifiable Iranian actions rather than promises alone.
“Iran is being sanctioned because they enrich uranium. Iran is being sanctioned because they have highly enriched uranium. Iran is being sanctioned because of their nuclear activities,” Rubio said.
“If they agree to give up those things, there will be sanctions relief associated with their commitment and compliance with those agreements.”
The issue emerged during an extended discussion about the future of U.S.-Iran negotiations following recent military confrontations and the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Senator Rand Paul welcomed reports that the administration was willing to consider sanctions relief in exchange for concrete steps by Tehran.
“Sanctions do have some leverage and ability to exact change if you remove them,” Paul said. “The removal of sanctions might actually have some hope.”
Paul argued that diplomacy often requires negotiating with adversaries rather than allies and suggested the United States should be prepared to offer significant incentives if Iran agrees to give up its enriched uranium stockpile.
Rubio agreed that sanctions linked directly to Iran’s nuclear programme could become part of a broader settlement.
“The more they give, theoretically, the more they should be willing to get,” Rubio said.
At the same time, he stressed that sanctions relief would not be offered upfront.
“What they’re not going to get is a down payment. They’re not going to get it as a signing bonus,” Rubio said.
The secretary also distinguished between sanctions and frozen Iranian assets, suggesting that both could become subjects of negotiation if Tehran complies with U.S. demands.
“There are sanctions that block direct activities that generate revenue,” Rubio said. “And then there’s the frozen assets, which are related to sanctions.”
Rubio maintained that President Donald Trump’s position remained unchanged: Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.
He said any agreement would require zero enrichment, the removal of highly enriched uranium, and strict verification measures.
“Simply putting something on a piece of paper is not satisfactory,” Rubio said. “You have to actually commit to doing it. Then you have to actually do it.”
(IANS)
