Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered [1] a blistering response to Amnesty International during the final stretch of his European trip, rejecting the organization’s criticism surrounding United States actions against Iran and Portugal’s support for those operations.
Rubio was visiting Iceland, Greece, and Portugal. During his stop in Greece, he spoke about preserving Western Civilization while standing in front of the Acropolis, then dismantled a reporter’s question involving fake news.
From Greece, Rubio traveled to Lisbon for discussions involving NATO, defense cooperation, economic cooperation, and technology cooperation. The visit also gave him an opportunity to publicly recognize Portugal’s assistance during Operation Epic Fury.
Rubio thanked the Portuguese official for allowing the United States to use the Lajes Field air base in the Azores. The base was used during Operation Epic Fury and United States actions against Iran.
Following their meeting, Rubio appeared at a joint press briefing with Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel. Both officials delivered remarks before taking questions from reporters about the discussions and related matters.
One reporter asked about the use of Lajes Field and sought Rubio’s reaction to an Amnesty International report. According to the reporter’s description, the organization said Portugal should not support war crimes or what it viewed as the path toward war crimes.
Rubio did not hedge, soften his language, or indulge the premise behind the question. He instead leveled a direct assessment of the organization responsible for the criticism.
“Amnesty International is a fraud,” Rubio said.
Rubio then redirected attention toward the Iranian regime and its treatment of people inside Iran. His response focused on killings in the streets, injured protesters in hospitals, and medical workers who treated them.
“If you’re asking me what I think [about] what Amnesty International thinks… you know what I think Amnesty International should be focused on?” Rubio said.
He pointed to the Iranian government’s treatment of protesters, accusing the regime of carrying out widespread killings during demonstrations.
“An Iranian regime that murdered, in cold blood, tens of thousands of people in the streets of Tehran and in other parts of the country.”
Rubio said the alleged abuses did not stop in the streets. He accused Iranian authorities of targeting wounded protesters even after they reached hospitals for medical treatment.
“What Amnesty International should focus on is how the Iranian regime goes into hospitals – when protesters are injured – and murders the people in their hospital bed, and, by the way, sometimes murders the doctors or the nurses who treated them.”
Rubio characterized those alleged actions as violations that should command the attention of international human rights organizations.
“So they should focus on them. Those are war crimes.”
He added that the alleged conduct amounted to crimes committed by the Iranian government against its own population.
“Those are crimes against humanity, and those are crimes they’re committing against their own people.”
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The answer turned Amnesty International’s accusation back toward Iran with remarkable clarity. Rather than accept a lecture aimed at Portugal or the United States, Rubio pointed to the Iranian regime’s actions against protesters, hospital patients, doctors, and nurses.
The response was also classic Rubio, blunt and plain-spoken without disappearing into diplomatic fog. He made his argument directly, naming what he considered the genuine war crimes and crimes against humanity while leaving little room for confusion about his view of Amnesty International.
That approach has distinguished Rubio’s tenure as secretary of state from those who held the position before him. His willingness to defend American interests directly presents a dramatic contrast with former secretaries of state Antony Blinken and Hillary Clinton.
Rubio has not been shy about stating his case, whether discussing Western Civilization in Greece, challenging a reporter over fake news, or confronting criticism involving Iran. His remarks in Portugal continued that pattern and showed why his communication style resonates.
The exchange also capped a trip featuring discussions on NATO, security cooperation, economics, and technology. Yet Rubio’s takedown of Amnesty International became the standout moment because he refused to let the organization’s claim pass without confronting its focus and credibility.