US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in Athens that Iran had failed to take up several opportunities to reach a nuclear agreement, while a senior Iranian official told Reuters there had been no nuclear negotiations.
Rubio made the remarks on Wednesday 7 October 2026 during a visit to Greece, where he spoke alongside Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis in Athens, according to CNBC and JNS.
He said Iran had passed up several chances to reach an agreement with the United States on its nuclear programme. In his words, Iran "has failed to take advantage of multiple opportunities to reach agreement with us on nuclear program".
Reports of his comments did not say which opportunities he meant, and no further detail was given in the coverage reviewed by the Tehran Telegraph.
Rubio also said Iran would not obtain a nuclear weapon while President Donald Trump was in office. JNS reported that he said Iran would never have one, and that he credited Trump with destroying Iran's military capabilities.
On the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio said Iran had lost "complete control" of the waterway and that oil flows were almost back to levels seen before the conflict. JNS also reported that he described Iran's economy as in "total and complete freefall". These are statements by the US official and were not independently verified in the reports reviewed.
CNBC reported that Iran has stepped up attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz in recent days. Bombay Samachar also noted that attacks on commercial vessels were continuing.
A senior Iranian official gave a different account. The official told Reuters on Wednesday that Iran would never give up its right to enrich uranium, but that enrichment details could be discussed later, as reported by CNBC.
The official also said there had been no negotiations between Iran and the United States on Tehran's nuclear programme, according to IBTimes. Benzinga, citing Reuters, reported that the official described US "requests and ideas" as "at odds" with Iran's position.
The two accounts conflict. Rubio said Iran had missed opportunities to reach an agreement, while the Iranian official said no nuclear negotiations had taken place. Some reports have referred to indirect talks, and MEAWW reported that the official was involved in them. The Iranian response came from an unnamed official rather than an on-record statement. No on-record response from Iran's Foreign Ministry to Rubio's remarks had been found.
Vice President JD Vance told Reuters earlier in the week that any deal must include a "meaningful" reduction in Iran's enrichment capacity, according to CNBC and JNS. JNS also quoted him as asking why Iran needs 60 per cent enriched fuel if it does not want a weapon.
CNBC reported that Trump denied last week that he had offered sanctions relief in exchange for nuclear concessions.
CNBC describes the conflict as a seven-month US-led war against Iran and says talks on a lasting peace agreement have stalled.
Benzinga reported that the White House has described talks as "positive and constructive" and said Iran showed flexibility on nuclear issues. The sides remain divided over sequencing, with Iran seeking sanctions relief.
Benzinga, citing the BBC, also reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency board referred Iran to the UN Security Council in September for "non-compliance". It described this as the first such move in 20 years. The Tehran Telegraph has not checked the BBC original.
MEAWW reported that Rubio was on a four-day, three-nation tour of NATO allies and was launching the sixth round of the US-Greece Strategic Dialogue.
Photo: U.S. Department of State / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
