Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied reports that Pakistan had conveyed a message "warning" that Iran was prepared to demonstrate a nuclear weapon if the current conflict escalated further, dismissing suggestions that such a communication had reached the Trump administration.

The issue surfaced during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday (local time) when Representative Scott Perry asked Rubio whether Pakistan's foreign minister had personally delivered a message indicating that Tehran was prepared to demonstrate a nuclear capability if tensions continued to rise.