U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Donald Trump launched the war against Iran to address the country’s nuclear ambitions, even if it was not popular at home.
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Donald Trump launched the war against Iran even if it was not “necessarily popular,” arguing it was necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from pursuing a nuclear weapon.
Rubio made the remarks in Florida before heading to a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in Paris, and he declined to comment directly on Tuesday’s U.S. elections in which Republicans suffered a decisive defeat and Democrats took control of Congress.
When asked about Vice President JD Vance’s post last week that largely blamed the war for Republican losses, Rubio said Trump “identified a very real threat” in Iran and acted to stop it from getting a nuclear weapon. He added that confronting difficult security challenges for the United States is “not necessarily popular” but “necessary.”
Rubio defended the more than eight-month-old war as voters blamed Trump’s policies for higher costs, including energy prices linked to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil transits. He said mediators are trying to revive talks between the two sides.
Iran has said its nuclear program is peaceful. The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported that Iran has 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% purity, a step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Rubio said, “I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough,” and he said Trump prefers diplomacy but that the talks have been “not very productive” because Iran’s demands are “simply not just unacceptable,” and in some cases “outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.”
Trump said Sunday that as long as the U.S. sees progress and the sides sign a “strong agreement,” it’s “highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary” to resume strikes, while also saying the U.S. has identified infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges, that it would strike if military action resumes.
The U.S. has continued limited strikes, including against Iran’s air defenses, at least twice over the past week, and it fired on and disabled a commercial ship on Saturday that the U.S. said was trying to breach a blockade of Iranian ports. Rubio said the U.S. would take defensive actions if needed, adding, “If there’s a clear and present threat to shipping or to our forces in the region, we have a right to defend ourselves.”
Trump is scheduled to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday, according to his official schedule. Rubio said there was no diplomatic breakthrough at hand as discussions continue. The AP reported that Iran was reviewing proposals submitted by chief mediator Qatar, though officials have said Iran has been unwilling to negotiate with the Trump administration until the U.S. agrees to core conditions described as including ending the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing assets, providing compensation for war damage, and ending hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.
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