Rubio defends Iran war as 'necessary' though not 'necessarily popular'
The secretary of state said talks with Iran are making little progress and called Tehran's demands unrealistic.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Donald Trump's decision to launch the war on Iran, saying it was necessary to prevent Tehran from getting a nuclear weapon. He acknowledged the war was not necessarily popular, and he linked it to Republican losses in last week's midterm elections, responding to comments by Vice President JD Vance. Trump has also defended the war, saying he would make the same decision again. He told "60 Minutes" he is not currently looking to escalate the conflict. Rubio said the U.S. and Iran are in talks but are making little progress. He said Iran's demands were unacceptable and unrealistic. On Sunday, Iran lifted its self-imposed limit on ballistic missile range, which it said was 2,000 kilometers, about 1,240 miles, after the U.S. launched a new task force aimed at cutting off Iran's weapons shipments and illicit trade.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson confirmed the change, saying the restriction had been lifted.
Key points
- Rubio says the Iran war was necessary to stop a nuclear weapon, though not popular.
- Talks with Iran are making little progress, according to Rubio.
- Iran lifted its self-imposed 2,000-kilometer ballistic missile range limit.
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Summarized with AI from the sources above and reviewed before publishing.
