Foreign Minister Rubio Calls US Open To Direct Dialogue With Iran

JAKARTA - The United States government remains ready to engage directly with Iran to resolve dissent over Tehran's nuclear program, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said.

"The United States remains open to getting directly involved with Iran in order to reach a peaceful and sustainable resolution to Iran's nuclear issue," Foreign Minister Rubio said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Rubio said France, Germany, and Britain on Thursday had started the process of reimposing sanctions against Tehran.

"Snapback does not conflict with our serious readiness for diplomacy, it actually strengthens it. I urge Iranian leaders to immediately take the necessary steps to ensure that their country will never have nuclear weapons; to take a peaceful path; and, furthermore, to advance prosperity for the Iranian people," Foreign Minister Rubio explained.

Separately, Iranian sources said Tehran would do so (direct dialogue) only "if Washington guarantees there will be no (military) attacks during the negotiations," Reuters said.

Previously, Britain, Germany, and France started a snapshotback mechanism after negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program failed. Foreign ministers of the three countries said in a joint statement that E3 countries had notified the UN Security Council of their intentions.