Iran is “serious” about reaching a deal with the US, but any agreement must prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, according to Al Jazeera.

“I think they are serious about getting themselves out of the mess that they’re in,” Rubio tells Fox News in an interview.

He points to Iran’s worsening economic conditions, including inflation, difficulties paying wages, as well as ongoing sanctions, saying: “All the problems that Iran had before the start of this conflict are still in place, and most of them are worse.

“We have to ensure that any deal that is made … definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,” he adds.