Washington, May 6 : US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Iran it faced â??economic collapseâ?? and â??total defeatâ?? unless it abandoned efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz and agreed to a diplomatic solution over its nuclear programme.

At a White House briefing, Rubio said the Trump administration was intensifying military, economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran following weeks of escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.

â??The time has come for Iran to make a sensible choice,â?? Rubio said. â??The alternative is growing isolation, economic collapse, and ultimately total defeat.â??

Rubio accused Iran of illegally mining international waters, targeting commercial ships and threatening one of the worldâ??s most critical shipping lanes.

He said the US military operation known as â??Project Freedomâ?? was designed to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while broader sanctions continued to weaken Iranâ??s economy.

â??The blockade alone is costing Iran as much as $500 million a day in lost revenue,â?? Rubio said. â??Ninety per cent of total Iranian trade has been halted.â??

The secretary of state said Washington was prepared to continue increasing pressure unless Tehran returned to negotiations over its nuclear activities.

â??The president, our president, has proven time and again that his preference is peace,â?? Rubio said. â??But Iran must accept the reality of this situation and come to the negotiation table.â??

Rubio repeatedly argued that Iran could not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons, saying Tehranâ??s actions in the Strait demonstrated the danger it would pose if armed with nuclear capability.

â??A nuclear armed Iran could do whatever the hell they want with the Straits,â?? Rubio said. â??Thatâ??s the world none of us want to leave behind.â??

He said Iran had long insisted it did not seek nuclear weapons while simultaneously pursuing activities consistent with military nuclear development.

â??They innovate and try to innovate long-range delivery missiles,â?? Rubio said. â??They build these large underground centrifuges for enrichment activity.â??

Rubio also pointed to Iranâ??s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

â??We know for a fact that they retain highly enriched uranium at 60 per cent, that they did so, and that has no civilian use,â?? he said.

The secretary of state said diplomacy remained possible but warned that the US would continue using military and economic leverage while talks proceeded.

â??If thereâ??s a real diplomatic path, we continue to explore it,â?? Rubio said. â??The diplomatic path could lead them to reconstruction, to prosperity and to stability.â??

At the same time, Rubio said recent US military operations had severely weakened Iranâ??s military capabilities.

â??They donâ??t have a Navy left,â?? Rubio said. â??They donâ??t have an Air Force.â??

He said Iranâ??s missile-launching capacity and defence industrial base had suffered extensive damage.

â??Their ability to build a shield behind which they could hide their nuclear programme was wiped out,â?? Rubio said.

Rubio also described Iranâ??s leadership as divided and increasingly isolated under mounting economic pressure.

â??There has to be a pressure point on them that causes them to realise they cannot continue to close the Straits,â?? he said.

The Trump administration has linked sanctions enforcement directly to the maritime crisis, warning foreign financial institutions and commercial actors against helping Tehran evade restrictions.

â??Any foreign financial institution or commercial actor that enables Iranâ??s sanctions evasion is going to face secondary sanctions exposure,â?? Rubio said.

/IANS