Marco Rubio Faces Senate Questions on Iran, Wins Support From Texas Senators

On Tuesday, Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio appeared before the Senate for the first time since the war in Iran began, drawing skepticism from some lawmakers but strong support from Texas Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Iran said on Monday it would halt negotiations with the administration in protest of Israel's expanding military operations in Lebanon. However, President Donald Trump said on Truth Social this was “false and erraneous,” and that conversations between the two powers are still ongoing.

In a hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Rubio said Iranian leaders were moving toward a deal. He later described the tension between Lebanon and Israel as “one of the most ironic situations in the world.”

“The Lebanese government and the Israeli government could do a peace deal tomorrow, Israel has no territorial claims in Lebanon,” Rubio said, adding that Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group and a major Shiite political party backed by Iran, is the reason for current and past sufferings in Lebanon.

Rubio spoke to Lebanese President Joseph Hoehn over the weekend, after which a State Department spokesperson said Iran wants to prolong the conflict to “claim credit for ‘saving the day.” Sen. Cruz said he did not think this was accurate.

“I don't think Iran wants to keep the conflict going in Lebanon,” Sen. Cruz said. “I think they desperately want Israel to stop killing Hezbollah.”

Rubio said Hezbollah is a “danger” to the U.S. as well, emphasizing that the administration’s goal is to demilitarize Hezbollah while strengthening the Lebanese government. The two conversations are separate, he said.

“Lebanon-Israeli talks are separate and distinct from Iran, and what Iran wants to do is mix it all together, because Hezbollah is not legitimate,” Rubio said.

According to Rubio, some Iranian agents provide “massive sponsorships” to groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. He added that some have even been arrested for plotting to assassinate American political leaders, including the president.

“It's a very dangerous regime,” Rubio said. “They openly chant, ‘Death to America. Death to Israel.’ They openly say, ‘Israel is the little Satan, but we’re the big Satan.’”

Sen. Cornyn said the foreign power has been “waging war on the West” for years, and that an Iran with access to nuclear weapons would be “like North Korea.” Rubio agreed.

“It shocks me to hear some of our colleagues suggest that there was not an imminent threat from an Iranian nuclear weapon,” Sen. Cornyn said.

Based on private conversations within the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Cornyn said if Iran continued to enrich its nuclear capabilities, it “could produce a nuclear weapon within a specified time.”

“The problem with Iran is not that they want nuclear energy,” Rubio commented. “The problem with Iran is that everything they do is consistent with the activities of a nation that seeks to develop.”

Although Rubio reassured Senators that Iran would negotiate, Sen. Cornyn said he was concerned that it would not stick to any agreement.

“Putting something on a piece of paper is not satisfactory. You have to actually commit to doing it, then you have to actually do it,” Rubio said. “Any arrangements that are made with Iran have to come after not just they agree to certain things, but they actually do certain things.”