BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts and Nevis/WASHINGTON — Senior Trump administration officials on Wednesday made the case that Iran poses a major threat to the United States ahead of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program.

U.S. and Iranian negotiators are due to meet in Geneva on Thursday, the third round of nuclear talks this year, as the U.S. has built up one of its biggest military deployments in the Middle East ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic.

In his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, President Donald Trump accused Iran of restarting its nuclear program, working to build missiles that “soon” would be capable of reaching the United States and of being responsible for roadside bombings that have killed U.S. service members and civilians.

He has also warned that it will be a “very bad day” for Iran if no deal is reached to solve a longstanding dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran has threatened to strike American bases in the region if it is attacked.

Speaking to reporters during a trip to St. Kitts and Nevis, Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed Trump’s comments.

“After their nuclear program was obliterated, they were told not to try to restart it, and here they are,” Rubio said. “You can see them always trying to rebuild elements of it. They’re not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can.”

Trump ordered strikes on Iran last year, claiming in July that they had “obliterated” the country’s nuclear facilities. His aides have said recently that Iran is very close to having the ability to make nuclear bombs.

Rubio said Iran also possessed a very large number of ballistic missiles that threaten U.S. interests in the region and that it was trying to develop weapons that can reach the continental United States.

“Beyond just the nuclear program, they possess these conventional weapons that are solely designed to attack America and attack Americans if they so choose to do so. …They already possess weapons that can reach much of Europe,” Rubio said.

Tehran’s insistence on not discussing the topic of ballistic missiles in the Geneva talks was a “big problem”, Rubio said, adding that he did not want to characterize the Thursday talks anything other than “the next opportunity to talk” even as he hoped for progress.

Iran has the largest stockpile of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, according to the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Vice President JD Vance said U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet an Iranian delegation in Geneva on Thursday to assess whether an agreement can be reached. “The principle is very simple: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Vance told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Treasury Department imposed sanctions on more than 30 individuals, entities and “shadow fleet” vessels it said enabled Iran’s illicit petroleum sales, ballistic missiles and weapons production.