Marco Rubio has praised President Donald Trump‘s hard-line approach to Iran as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate. The secretary of state also accused the Iranian regime of repeatedly abusing diplomacy while the White House pushes for renewed negotiations on tougher terms.
Rubio further claimed U.S. strikes dismantled much of Iran’s military protection, leaving Tehran more exposed and under greater pressure to reach a deal.
3Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Iran is now dealing with a U.S. president who is willing to back warnings with action.
Speaking in an interview last weekend on “My View with Lara Trump,” Rubio argued that Tehran has never faced a leader like the one it is experiencing now.
“I don’t think the Iranian regime has ever faced a president like President Trump, which is someone that actually takes action,” Rubio said.
He claimed Iran had spent decades exploiting the willingness of the United States and other countries to keep negotiating despite repeated breaches.
“They got used to, for 20 or 30 years, not just the U.S., but the broader world, allowing them to get away with things like lying, breaking deals, tricking people into agreements,” Rubio added.
Rubio Says Trump ‘Severely Degraded’ Iran’s Defenses
Rubio argued that Trump’s military campaign stripped Iran of the conventional defenses it once relied on to deter its adversaries.
The secretary said Tehran had been pursuing a nuclear weapon while simultaneously building a massive arsenal of drones and missiles to create what he described as a protective shield. According to Rubio, Trump refused to allow Iran to reach that point.
Rubio claimed U.S. strikes destroyed Iran’s navy, crippled its air force, eliminated missile defense systems, wiped out launchers, and damaged facilities used to manufacture military equipment. He said the campaign had “severely degraded” Iran’s defensive capabilities.
He acknowledged Iran still possesses drones capable of carrying out attacks but argued the country no longer has the conventional military umbrella it once depended on.
Marco Rubio Warns Cuba Remains A Major Threat
In the same interview, Rubio warned Americans not to underestimate Cuba because of its size, arguing the island has spent decades building one of the world’s most effective espionage and influence networks.
America’s top diplomat pointed to a newly released 100-page State Department report describing Cuba as a long-term threat to U.S. interests. He claimed Cuban intelligence has repeatedly infiltrated American institutions, including the diplomatic and intelligence communities, and said no other country has consistently embedded spies inside the U.S. government in the same way.
Rubio also accused Havana of exporting communist influence across Latin America, claiming it has backed left-wing insurgencies that destabilized governments throughout the region.
Lara Trump Says Iran Doesn’t Want Peace
3In a previous episode of “My View,” Lara Trump argued that Iran’s leadership has consistently chosen confrontation over peace.
She pointed to decades of chants of “Death to America” and more recent threats against Donald Trump as evidence of the regime’s hostility. Lara also revisited the 2020 U.S. strike that killed Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani, describing it as the beginning of Tehran’s drive for revenge.
Referencing reports of an alleged new plot against the president, she said recent scenes from Iran showed a government motivated by violence rather than coexistence. She added that, in her view, Trump remains the leader best positioned to bring an end to what she called the regime’s campaign of terror.
Marco Rubio Says Regime Change Isn’t Trump’s Goal
3Rubio previously drew a firm line between the Trump administration’s Iran policy and regime change, saying Washington’s goal was limited to stopping Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
During a June 2025 appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” the secretary of state said the administration’s focus is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, not removing its government.
“That’s up to the Iranian people if they want to do that, but that’s not what we’re focused on,” Rubio said.
He argued the U.S. had repeatedly pursued diplomacy before military action, describing negotiations as Trump’s preferred solution. Rubio added that Washington remains open to a deal if Tehran abandons its nuclear ambitions, but warned the administration would not allow the regime to move closer to building a weapon.