US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that Washington is seeking direct talks with Iran to end its nuclear program after European powers decided to activate the mechanism that allows the restoration of UN sanctions against Tehran.

Rubio welcomed the “immediate restoration” of sanctions by the Europeans, long pushed by President Donald Trump, but added: “At the same time, the United States remains available for direct engagement with Iran, seeking a peaceful and lasting resolution to the nuclear issue with Iran.”

“The reimposition (of sanctions) does not contradict our sincere willingness to engage in diplomacy, it only reinforces it,” Rubio said in a statement.

“I urge Iran’s leaders to take the immediate steps necessary to ensure that their nation never obtains a nuclear weapon; to walk the path of peace; and, by extension, to advance the prosperity of the Iranian people,” he added.

France, Great Britain and Germany on Thursday activated a mechanism to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with commitments on its nuclear program, a step that was a key goal of Donald Trump in his first term and caused great friction between the United States and Europe.

Trump, in his second term, has swung wildly in different directions on Iran, insisting he sought a negotiated settlement but then ordering US airstrikes on nuclear sites in support of an Israeli military campaign.