By Sumayya
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Sunday that U.S. President Donald Trump started the war against Iran even if it was not necessarily popular to protect the world from that nation’s nuclear goals.
He refused to comment directly about the Republican losses in Tuesday’s voting, which showed a clear rejection of Trump. The unpopular feel of the Iran war and its effect on gas prices and other parts of the economy assisted Democrats in taking control of Congress.
When questioned about U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s social media post last week that mostly blamed the war for the Republican losses, Rubio informed reporters that Trump spotted a very real threat in Iran and worked to stop the Islamic Republic from chasing a nuclear weapon.
“He addressed it even though oftentimes the right thing to do for the country — confronting difficult challenges for the security of our country — doing it isn’t necessarily popular, but necessary,” Rubio expressed in Florida before traveling to a Group of 7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris.
America’s top diplomat gave a strong defense of the more than eight-month-old war even as voters blamed Trump’s choices for the damage to their wallets, including higher energy prices that came from disruptions to shipping boats in the Strait of Hormuz. This is a vital waterway where one-fifth of the world’s oil traveled before the war took off.
Rubio and Vance Offer Differing Comments on the War
Rubio’s statements also place him at odds with Vance, and both are viewed as potential 2028 election contenders. Asked in a “60 Minutes” interview that was broadcast Sunday about potential candidates other than Vance, Trump named Rubio, stating that “I think Marco’s great” but noting there was a huge bench of choices in his Republican Party and that “maybe I’m better off not getting involved.”
Trump informed reporters Sunday that Vance was correct about the war’s effect on the election—except that his vice president should have also insisted it was the right choice to go to war.
“I can tell you if I had it to do again, this historically — for history — will go down as one of the best things we ever did,” Trump stated. “Because if they ever had a nuclear weapon, they would blow up the world.”
Iran has long stated that its nuclear project is entirely peaceful. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran holds 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60 percent purity, which is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.
Asked on “60 Minutes” whether he would increase the war following the elections, Trump stated, “Well I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to.”
Rubio Says Iran Talks Aren’t on the Verge of a Breakthrough
With no clear government plan to finish the conflict and the Middle East worried over the chance of a return to major fighting, middlemen are attempting to revive talks between both sides.
Rubio shared, “I wouldn’t say we’re at the verge of a breakthrough.”
He repeated that Trump favors a diplomatic solution, but “right now, it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.”
Trump is scheduled to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday, according to his official timetable.
Reports show that Iran was looking over proposals brought forward by chief middleman Qatar aimed at dealing with disagreements with the United States regarding Tehran’s nuclear project. But Iran was viewed as unwilling to talk with the Trump administration over their atomic work until the U.S. agrees to several main conditions that Tehran has been demanding be part of any ceasefire deal, officials explained.
Those demands include ending the U.S. blockade on Iran’s shipping ports, lifting financial penalties, freeing its frozen assets, paying compensation for war destruction, and finishing fighting across the whole region, including Israeli actions in Lebanon.
While Rubio stated there was no diplomatic breakthrough close at hand, Trump told CNN in a phone interview Sunday that as long as the U.S. sees progress in talks with Tehran and they sign a strong agreement, it’s highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary to restart military strikes.
Trump stated, however, that the U.S. had found infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges, that it would hit if military action restarts.
The U.S. military, meanwhile, has still run limited strikes on Iran, including against its air defense networks, at least twice over the past week. It also shot at and disabled a trading ship Saturday that the U.S. says was attempting to break its naval blockade on Iranian ports.
Rubio acknowledged that the U.S. will take defensive actions if required.
“If there’s a clear and present threat to shipping or to our forces in the region, we have a right to defend ourselves,” Rubio stated.
