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Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned on Friday that Iran must never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, telling a conservative legal audience in Washington that a nuclear-armed Tehran could hold the Middle East and the United States hostage.
Rubio, speaking to the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention, said the goal of the war the United States and Israel are waging against Iran was to prevent Tehran from ever developing a nuclear weapon, and said the danger was particularly urgent because the Islamic Republic’s “radical Shia clerics” have what he called an “expansionist mentality.”
He pointed to the Iranian authorities’ deadly crackdown on protests in January, saying security forces had killed demonstrators in the streets and targeted wounded protesters and medical personnel in hospitals.
“Imagine what they would do to us if they had a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said.
Rubio contrasted Iran’s leadership with that of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, whom President Donald Trump has met three times. “I’m not excusing the terrible things that have happened there,” Rubio said of North Korea. “I’m just saying he (Kim) is not expansionist. He’s not trying to invade Japan or, you know, China or whatever.”
Critics of military action against Iran argue that escalating the conflict could cause further instability, and that diplomacy and nuclear monitoring remain important alternatives. The debate centres on how to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons without triggering a wider war.
Rubio defended the war against Iran while acknowledging that the unpopular conflict has driven up gasoline prices for Americans and other connected costs. “It’s not easy to address these things because it’s not popular to address them,” he said. “It’s difficult. And oftentimes it inflicts, you know, pain, economic pain and otherwise. So we recognize that.”
The speech was Rubio’s first prepared remarks since Republicans were routed in the midterm elections on November 3, when Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress. His appearance at the Federalist Society, an occasional stop for Republican presidential hopefuls, has heightened speculation over whether he will leave his roles as national security adviser and top diplomat to run for president in 2028, a race that could pit him against Vice President JD Vance. Rubio has firmly denied reports that he will soon embark on a presidential campaign.
The war between the United States and Iran began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran in the middle of nuclear negotiations. Talks aimed at ending the war have stalled, with Iran insisting the United States meet seven conditions, including an end to the naval blockade of Iranian ports and the lifting of sanctions on its oil exports, before nuclear discussions can resume.