Marco Rubio said the current approach toward Iran prioritizes diplomacy, while also raising concerns about the country’s nuclear ambitions and its involvement with groups across the Middle East.

Rubio described diplomatic efforts as ongoing but still in early stages, noting that communication between the United States and Iran has continued through indirect channels. He said the president has consistently favored diplomacy as a first option in addressing tensions.

“I think the first point the President makes is he prefers diplomacy. As I said, those efforts are nascent. There is messages being relayed back and forth, some conversations going on, including through intermediaries. And he always prefers that look,” Rubio said.

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He added that opportunities for a diplomatic resolution have existed in the past, but said those opportunities were not taken by Iranian leadership.

Rubio pointed to what he described as Iran’s continued pursuit of nuclear capabilities and its support for groups in the region.

“If the Iranian regime had come forward at any point in the past and said, We’re going to walk away from our nuclear ambitions. We’re going to do nuclear energy the way every other country in the world, primarily, almost every other country in the world, does it, and that is through a peaceful means in which you bring in the fuel and it’s supervised and so forth. We’re not we’re going to stop supporting terrorist groups across the region,” Rubio said.

Rubio argued that Iran’s role in the region extends across multiple organizations, which he said contribute to instability in the Middle East.

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He cited several groups and described their connections to Iran.

“Look at this region. Every single terrorist group in this region has a link to the Iranian regime, every single one the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Shia militias that are attacking everyone out of Iraq, every single one of these groups, and all the destabilization in this region tracks directly back to the Iranian regime,” Rubio said.

He said addressing both Iran’s nuclear program and its regional activity would be necessary for any long-term resolution.

According to Rubio, the continuation of these policies has kept the issue at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy discussions.

“Those things have to be addressed, and if Iran had been willing to address those in the past, we wouldn’t be having this interview on this topic right now,” Rubio said.

Rubio also expressed concern about Iran’s long-term intentions, particularly regarding nuclear capability. He said the possibility of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon presents a significant threat.

“Their refusal to do so and their continuing move towards one day acquiring a nuclear capability. These people are lunatics. They are insane. They are religious zealots who can never be allowed to possess a nuclear weapon because they have an apocalyptic vision of the future,” Rubio said.

He added that neighboring countries in the region share similar concerns, which he said has contributed to support for U.S. efforts.

“And all of their neighbors know that, by the way, which is why all of their neighbors have been supportive of the efforts we’re conducting,” Rubio said.

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