Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Iran “made a huge mistake” by attempting to manipulate President Donald Trump, a miscalculation that directly led to the U.S. strikes on three of Tehran’s key nuclear sites over the weekend.
Speaking on Fox News, Rubio explained that Trump had sent a message months earlier to Iranian leadership, making it clear that the regime would never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons and that he preferred a diplomatic resolution. Instead, Iran chose deception.
“They tried to play him along the way they’ve played every American president for the last 35 years,” Rubio said. “The president told them, ‘If we don’t get a deal, I’ll have to handle it differently.’ And that’s what he did last night. That was Iran’s choice, not ours.”
Rubio said the world is now “safer” and “more stable” than it was just one day before. While several governments issued public statements criticizing the strike, Rubio noted those same countries privately expressed support. “They’ve got to manage their public relations, but they know this needed to be done,” he added.
The Secretary of State pointed to Iran’s long-standing role in funding and enabling regional terrorism. “Why does Hezbollah exist? Why does Hamas exist? Because of Iran,” Rubio said. “Who built the IEDs that maimed and killed our soldiers in Iraq? Iran. They are behind every major threat in the region.”
Rubio emphasized that Iran’s push for nuclear capabilities was intolerable. “Imagine them with just one nuclear weapon. That alone would destabilize the entire Middle East,” he said. “President Trump did the world a favor last night.”
With bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE, Rubio said the U.S. remains ready to deter further aggression. “Iran is the single greatest source of instability in the Middle East,” he concluded. “The world has been paying the price for over 40 years. That ends now.”
The post Iran ‘Tried To Play’ Trump, Rubio Says appeared first on Real News Now.
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