U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a press conference with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah (not seen in the picture) in Kuwait City, Kuwait, July 29, 2021. (Xinhua)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that diplomacy is the most effective way to ensure that Iran would not develop a nuclear weapon. "We are prepared to turn to other options if Iran doesn't change course," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned that the United States would turn to "other options" if diplomacy fails to curb Iran's nuclear program, saying "time is running short."

Blinken on Wednesday met with his counterparts of Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the State Department over bilateral and trilateral cooperation as well as regional security issues, including Iran.

During a joint press conference after their trilateral meeting, Blinken reiterated that diplomacy is the most effective way to ensure that Iran would not develop a nuclear weapon.

"We are prepared to turn to other options if Iran doesn't change course," he said.

The United States and Iranian officials began indirect talks in Vienna this April to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The two sides still have significant differences after six rounds of negotiations, which have been suspended since June.

"I'm not going to put a specific date on it, but with every passing day and Iran's refusal to engage in good faith, the runway gets short," he said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told reporters that the concern about Iran's nuclear capability was at the center of his visit. "Israel reserves the right to act at any given moment in any way" to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, he said.