I think that question being asked on the
media all that’s an irrelevant question
they had that is the key point in US
intelligence assessments you know that
yes it was that the political decision I
know that better than you know that and
I know that that’s not the case and you
know in the intelligence assessment that
it was that Iran wanted to be a
threshold in says how do you know what
the intelligence assessment
that’s an accurate representation of it
that’s not how intelligence is read
that’s not how intelligence is used
there is such a massive trust deficit
there how could you possibly trust after
it started with Iran. They’re the ones
that no one should trust. Secretary of
State and acting White House National
Security Adviser Marco Rubio now joins
us. Uh Mr. Secretary, I know it has been
an intense uh few hours. Um but so far
it does not appear that Iran has yet
retaliated against the United States.
What intelligence do you have at this
point about their capabilities to
respond, the intent of their proxies? Is
there any kind of command and control
structure left to activate them? Yeah.
Well, we’ll see what Iran decides to do.
I think they should choose the route of
peace. We have been we’ve done
everything. We have bent over backwards,
okay, to create a deal with these
people. Steve Woodoff has traveled the
world extensively. Met with them. Well,
not even met with them. Met through the
Omanis with them and discussed back and
forth. We even put an offer uh to them
that they wanted elements of it in
writing and we offered it to them. Very
generous offer by the way. We’ve done
and we’re we’re prepared right now if
they call right now and say we want to
meet. Let’s talk about this. We’re
prepared to do that. The president’s
made that clear from the very beginning.
His preference is to deal with this
issue diplomatically. But he also told
them we had 60 days to make progress or
something else was going to happen. And
I think they thought they were dealing
with a different kind of leader like the
kinds of leaders they’ve been playing
games with for the last 30 or 40 years.
and they found out that’s not the case.
So this mission was a very precise
mission. It had three objectives, three
nuclear sites. It was not attack on
Iran. It was not an attack on the
Iranian people. This wasn’t a regime
change move. This was designed to
degrade and/or destroy three nuclear
sites related to their nuclear
weaponization ambitions. And that was
delivered on yesterday. What happens
next will now depend on what Iran
chooses to do next. If they choose the
path of diplomacy, we’re ready. we can
do a deal that’s good for them, the
Iranian people, and good for the world.
If they choose another route, then
there’ll be consequences for that. Let
me follow up on a phrase you just word,
weaponization ambitions. Are you saying
there that the United States did not see
intelligence that the Supreme Leader had
ordered weaponization? That’s
irrelevant. I think that question being
asked on the media all that’s an
irrelevant question. They had that key
point in US intelligence assessments.
You know that. Yes, it was that the
political
I know that better than you know that
and I know that that’s not the case. But
I’m asking you whether the order was
given and the people who say that it
doesn’t matter if the order was given.
They have everything they need to build
nuclear weapons. Why would you bury Why
would you bury things in a mountain 300
ft under the ground? Why would you bury
six Why do they have 60% enriched
uranium? You don’t need 60% enriched
uran. The only countries in the world
that have uranium at 60%. Are countries
that have nuclear weapons? Because they
can quickly make it 90. They have all
the elements. They have Why are they Why
do they have a space program? Is Iran
going to go to the moon? No. They’re
trying to build an ICBS.
That’s a question. That’s a question of
intent. And And you know in the
intelligence assessment that it was that
Iran wanted to be a threshold safe
intelligence says how do you know what
the intelligence assessment
and that’s why I was asking you if you
know something more from an inaccurate
representation of it. That’s an accurate
representation of it. That’s not how
intelligence is read. That’s not how
intelligence is used. Here’s what the
whole world knows. Forget about
intelligence. What the IAEA knows, they
are enriching uranium well beyond
anything you need for for a for a um for
a civil nuclear program. So why would
you enrich uranium at 60%. If you don’t
intend to one day use it to take it to
90 and build a weapon, why are you why
are you developing ICBMs? Why do you
have 8,000 short- range missiles and 2
to 3,000 long mid-range missiles that
you continue to develop? Why do you do
all these things? They have everything
they need for a nuclear weapon. They
have the delivery mechanisms. They have
the enrichment capability. They have the
highlyenriched uranium that is stored.
That’s all we need to see, right? Well,
especially in the hands of a regime
that’s already involved in terrorism and
and proxies and all kinds of things
around. They are the source of all this.
And no one’s disputing no one’s
disputing that. I’m not doing that here.
Uh and they were centured at the IAEA
for that enrichment and for violating
their non-prololiferation agreements. I
was simply asking if we had intelligence
that there was an order to weaponize
because you said weaponization
ambitions. intelligence that they have
everything they need to build a nuclear
weapon and that’s more than enough.
Okay. Can I want to ask you on the
policy front? Uh there are personnel
throughout the Middle East from the
United States in Bahrain, in Kuwait and
other bases. If those countries are
attacked by Iran because of their
association with the United States, will
the United States defend them? Well,
that’s exactly why they’re there. That’s
a great point, actually. Do you know why
we have bases in Bahrain and Qatar and
UAE and and all these places? All of
those bases are there because those
countries are afraid that Iran will
attack them. If Iran was not a threat to
the region, if the Iranian regime,
because I’m talking about the Iranian
people, the regime was not a threat to
the region, we wouldn’t have to have any
of these bases. Those bases are there
because those countries are petrified
that these that that the Iranian Shia
clerics that run that country will
attack their countries. As you know,
they’ve got a very difficult history.
Well, that’s why we’re there. That’s why
we’re there
is what they’re threatening to do. So,
we’ll defend our people. Obviously,
we’ll defend our people. Well, they’ll
attack our bases, and those are our
bases, and we’re going to defend our
personnel. We’re prepared to do that,
but we’ll do more than just defend.
We’ll impose costs on Iran if they
attack American personnel, whether they
do it directly or whether they do it
through some of these proxies that they
try to hide behind. Uh, and that
includes the Houthis. So, another proxy
of theirs. So, but let’s hope they don’t
choose that route. Let’s all hope that
they actually decide, okay, let’s go
negotiate because we want a diplomatic
and peaceful solution. We have achieved
our objectives. We’re ready to negotiate
this in a peaceful, you know, diplomatic
way. We’ve been prepared to do that for
days. They are the ones that played
games as they have done for 40 years, as
they have done to multiple presidents.
They tried to play games with with
President Trump and they see what
happens. This is not a game playing
president. When he says he’s going to do
something, he will do it. I hear you
saying here you want to deescalate when
you are talking about diplomacy. You are
looking for Iran to pick up that offer
that was put on the table you mentioned
by Steve Wickoff. Can you just clarify?
Does that mean the US would still allow
for Iran to have a civilian nuclear
program if it does not enrich on its own
soil? But that’s never been an issue.
There’s countries all over the world
that have a civil nuclear program. No
one here saying that Iran can’t. Sure.
That’s always been every any country in
the world has a right to have a civil
nuclear program. And what they don’t
have a right to do is to enrich it at
60%, hide it under a mountain and
develop long range and short-range and
mid-range missiles and sponsor terrorist
proxies all over the world. They don’t
have a right to do that and and that’s
what they’ve been doing and no one’s
dealt with it and it’s continued to
linger and they’ve played games with
multiple presidents and and multiple
countries around the world and they’ve
gotten away with it for 40ome years.
This is very simple. The president wants
to resolve this diplomatically and
peacefully. He gave them a chance to do
that. They delayed they had all these
kind of delay tactics. They wouldn’t
even meet with us directly. We had to go
through third countries. This is very
simple. Let’s meet directly. Let’s work
on agreements that we can that are good
for Iran and good for the Iranian people
in particular, good for the safety and
security of the world and the United
States. That’s always been our
preference. That continues to be our
preference. But they’re the ones that
were playing games with us and and these
are the consequences. We had to achieve
those objectives. We had three
objectives yesterday. Foraux, Natans,
and Esvahan. We conducted a brilliant
military operation under the command of
President Trump and obviously great
credit to Secretary Hexath and and
General Carrilla and General Kaine and
all of our all the airmen and the
phenomenal people in the US military. No
other military in the world could have
done this. We’ve achieved those
objectives. What happens next is up to
the regime. Okay. The regime wants
peace. We’re ready for peace. They want
to do something else. They’re incredibly
vulnerable. They can’t even protect
their own airspace. Well, clearly uh
clearly they they could not. Um, but
what is the US assessment of how much
nuclear material at those sites was
moved prior to the attack? There has
been talk for days about bombing of Ford
out. Well, look, we we don’t no one will
know for sure for days, but I doubt they
moved it because you really can’t move
anything right now and they can’t move
anything right now inside of Iran. I
mean, the minute a truck starts driving
somewhere, the Israelis have seen it and
they’ve targeted it and taken it out.
So, our assessment is we have to assume
that that’s a lot of 60% enriched
uranium buried deep under the ground
there in Esvahan. And that really is the
key. What they should do with that is
they should bring it out of the ground
and turn it over. Po multiple countries
around the world will take it and down
blend it. That’s what they should do
with that. And what they should do is
say we’re not going to have any
enrichment capability in our country.
Instead, what we’re going to have is a
civil nuclear program like dozens of
countries around the world have where we
build reactors that create electricity
and we import enriched material. And
we’ve made very general I’m not going to
get all the details of the offers, but
there are other avenues here that would
be acceptable to them if that’s what
they wanted. If what they want is a
civil peaceful nuclear program, the
route has always been there. The problem
is that everything they’re demanding has
nothing to do with a peaceful program.
They are all the things you would want
if you want to retain the option of one
day weaponizing the program. Okay? Which
has been their clear intent. To me,
that’s indisputable. I followed this
issue for 15 years, including the
intelligence on it for 15 years. Okay? I
have followed it. And the intelligence,
these are assessments, and sometimes
they’ve been wrong. I’ve seen them
revised multiple times. These guys want
a nuclear weapon one day. to it isn’t
going to happen. Not while Donald Trump
is president. Understood. You’ve said
this is not about regime change. But you
are describing a regime that you have
said for decades, I mean for upwards of
40 years, has chanted death to America.
Has done all the things you just
described? Isn’t a diplomatic deal with
them a lifeline? Aren’t you offering to
negotiate with the same people you’re
saying did all these things? So
therefore, are you actually looking for
regime change? Well, that misses the
point. I I don’t like that they chant
those things. But one thing is that they
chant those things. Another thing is
that they chant those things and they
have an terror proxies are all over the
world and they have long range missiles
that can reach the United States one day
and they have the potential to be one
step away from a nuclear weapon. Yeah.
Well, one day could be tomorrow, could
be a week from now, could be a month
from now. You know, all it takes is the
flip of a switch. By the way, they’re
not going to broadcast that to the
world. By the time we figure out that
they’re doing it, you have all the
pieces in place. Okay? It’s like you
have loaded a gun here and the
ammunition. It only takes one second. We
have other targets that we could hit,
but we achieved our objective. The
primary targets we were interested in
are the ones that were struck tonight in
devastating fashion, and we’ve achieved
that objective. There are no planned
military operations right now against
Iran, unless unless they mess around and
they attack American or American
interests. Then they’re going to have a
problem. Then they’re going to have a
problem. And I’m not going to broadcast
what those problems are, but suffice it
to say, know this. The United States
flew halfway around the world, right
into the heart of Iran over their most
sensitive locations. These things got
rocked and then we left and we were out
of their airspace. We were over the
ocean before they figured out what had
happened and there are plenty of other
target. We don’t want to do that. That’s
not our preference. We want peace deals
with them and that’s up to them to
decide. You said defend American
interest. Would the United States
military take action to keep for example
the transit point, the straight of
Hormuz open? If there are attacks on oil
installations, would the United States
consider that a direct act by the state
even if it was carried out by a militia?
Well, I’m not going to take options away
from the president. That’s not something
we’re talking about right now in terms
of being immediate. But if they do that,
the first people that should be angry
about it are the Chinese government
because they take a lot of their oil
comes through there. So, they should be
the first ones that are saying if they
mine the Straits of Hormuz, the Chinese
are going to pay a huge price and every
other country in the world is going to
pay a huge price. We will too. It’ll
have some impact on us. It’ll have a lot
more impact on the rest of the world. A
lot more impact on the rest of the
world. It would be a suicidal move on
their part because I think the the whole
world would come against them if they
did that. Will the Chinese and Russians
stop trading with Iran? You have to ask
the Chinese and the Russians. Probably
not. I mean, they’re getting, you know,
the Well, the Russians are getting a
bunch of these uh, you know, these
drones that they’re using are coming
from Iran. They’re coming from Iran. So,
I saw the foreign minister instead of
meeting with Steve Woodoff is headed to
Moscow to meet with Putin, which was a
pre-scheduled meeting, which is fine.
You know, they can go meet and uh, you
know, the the the Russians at the end of
the day, I mean, they buy drones from
them. But look, this is very simple.
They we we want to have an agreement
with them, a diplomatic agreement in
which they have a civil nuclear program
but are not enriching and don’t have
weapons material or weapons grade
capabilities laying around. That’s that
simple. That’s our interest here. Who
they trade with, who they deal with,
those are other topics. Our objective
here is very straightforward. They’re
not going to have a nuclear weapon.
They’re not even going to get close to a
nuclear weapon. They’re not even going
to be in the neighborhood of a nuclear
weapon because these people are
dangerous. This is a radical Shia
clerics who run that country and and and
they are the source of all instability
in the region. All of it without Iran
and this regime. There is no Hamas.
There is no Hezbollah. Well, because we
don’t want them to have a nuclear
weapon. But but but that’s the core
objective. But the I’m No, no, but I’m
going through the things they’ve done
because that’s why they can’t have a
nuclear weapon. Okay. They sponsor Shia.
Sorry. They sponsor these Shia militias,
Hamas, Hezbollah, all these other
terrorist groups. These people aren’t
going are never going to get anywhere
close to a nuclear weapon. for the
Americans, for the Americans at home who
are going, “Are we at war?” You know,
I’m trying to sus out some of the facts
here. So, why would why would Iran agree
to any peace deal if the United States
has already pulled out of one that they
had, as President Trump did in 2018, and
now launched two surprise attacks, both
Israel and the United States have done
so. There is such a massive trust
deficit there. How could you possibly
come? The trust deficit started with
Iran. I know. Well, the trust deficit,
the ones that shouldn’t be trusted are
the Iranians because they’re the ones
that sponsored terrorism. Did they
forewarn us before they blew up the
embassy in Lebanon and killed over 200
American servicemen? Did they forewarn
us before they built IEDs and blew the
legs and arms off of American servicemen
in Iraq? I mean, these are the people
that are doing this forever. They’re the
ones that no one should trust. They’re
the ones that have lied about their
nuclear program. They’re the ones that
have hidden things from the
international organisms. But that sounds
like we’re headed towards regime change
or the desire to get these people out of
power. Are are you No. A serious foreign
policy is one that’s focused on
identifying what our national interest
is. You don’t have to like the regime.
There are a lot of regimes around the
world that we don’t like. Okay. But in
this particular case, what we are
focused on is not the changing of the
regime. Okay? That’s up to the Iranian
people if they want to do that, but
that’s not what we’re focused on. Our
national interest is about one thing,
and that is Iran not getting where any
anywhere near the capability to
weaponize and and have nuclear weapons.
They’re not going to get anywhere near
that capability. The president has made
that clear from day one. Our preference
for solving that problem, that very
specific problem, is through diplomacy.
We’ve said that. We’ve given it every
opportunity. They played games. They
tried delay tactics. They’re trying
delay tactics now on the Europeans
because of the snapback provisions. You
talk about the JCPOA. That was a crazy
deal. When did the president make this
decision? Because he said he was giving
two more weeks of diplomacy on Friday.
And on Friday, these jets took off.
Well, the president retains the
opportunity to pull out of this at any
moment, including 10 minutes before, but
the president ordered options. The
president, look, the decision in my view
was made when he wrote a letter to the
Supreme Leader and he said, “Over the
next 60 days, we want to do a deal with
you and solve this problem of nuclear
weaponization. We want to do it
peacefully. If after 60 days, we don’t
see progress or it isn’t solved, we have
other alternatives.” He made that very
clear. I think what some people are
struggling with here is that we today
have a president who does what he says
he’s going to do, and that’s what
happened here. And hopefully the Iranian
regime got that message. We’re we’re
going to hit a commercial break, so I
have to wrap you there.
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