Marco Rubio spoke at a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila, saying that if Iran does not take diplomacy seriously, the US will "do what's necessary" to protect its interests.
The threat of attacking the Iranian site reflects escalating tensions as Tehran and Washington trade fire in the Gulf, setting back efforts to end the conflict.
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Pickaxe Mountain has emerged as a major Iran nuclear concern, but questions remain over whether the facility is operational and whether a strike would achieve its goals.
The Iranian Foreign Minister's Telegram channel shared a statement claiming that both diplomats acted in an "unconventional and inconsistent manner compared with how foreign officials should act."
Sabti, an Iran researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, spoke following an Al Hadath report which said that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei was not in the Islamic Republic.
Experts have frequently called into question the role of Khamenei, who has not been seen since being injured in the same attack that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Bulgarian government has said it will seek parliamentary approval to station up to eight US tanker aircraft at an air base in the Balkan country, which is a member of NATO and the European Union.
The mediators, including senior Qatari, Egyptian, Omani, and Pakistani officials, have presented the proposal to the United States.
The IRGC said that a missile defense radar system and an F-15 aircraft had both been destroyed in Jordan.
The movement of nuclear equipment deep inside Pickaxe Mountain increases concerns that Tehran is working to ensure continued production of uranium enrichment.
