US designates Iran 'state sponsor of wrongful detention'

The United States designated Iran a "state sponsor of wrongful detention," its first such move under a new blacklist that could eventually result in a travel ban.

The step comes as the United States builds up its military near Iran and threatens to strike over concerns led by its disputed nuclear programme.

"The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

If Iran makes no progress, Mr Rubio said that the United States could eventually decide that US passports are invalid for travel to Iran.

The United States only forbids its nationals from traveling to one country - North Korea - and many Iranian-Americans routinely travel to Iran, ruled since 1979 by clerics after the overthrow of the pro-US shah.

US President Donald Trump in September signed an executive order that created the blacklist on wrongful detention, similar to designations by the United States on terrorism.

Iran becomes the first country to be placed on the blacklist. It has detained a number of Americans in recent years, usually dual nationals whom the government considers Iranian citizens.

"No American should travel to Iran for any reason. We reiterate our call for Americans who are currently in Iran to leave immediately," Mr Rubio said.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump said he did not want Iran to have any uranium enrichment at all, even for civilian purposes, a day after the US and Iran held talks on nuclear and other issues.

"I say no enrichment," Mr Trump told reporters ahead of an event in the Texas port city of Corpus Christi.

"Not 20%, 30%, they always want 20%, 30%, they want it for civilians. I think it's uncivil," he added.

President Trump also reiterated that he was "not happy with the negotiation."

It comes as Oman said that Iran agreed during the talks to never stockpile enriched uranium, in what was called a breakthrough that would hopefully prevent war.

"This is something completely new. It really makes the enrichment argument less relevant, because now we are talking about zero stockpiling," Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi told CBS News programme 'Face the Nation.'

The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Iran of intending to build a nuclear weapon.

But "if you cannot stockpile material that is enriched then there is no way you can actually create a bomb," Mr Albusaidi told CBS.