Marco Rubio warns Iran wanted to be the 'next North Korea' as he sees 'finish line' in conflict
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday the U.S. is nearing the "finish line" in its conflict with Iran, while warning that Tehran was seeking to become the next North Korea.
Rubio told "Hannity" Tuesday that Iran was pursuing intercontinental missiles capable of striking the United States and would have achieved those objectives if President Donald Trump had not launched Operation Epic Fury.
"They were aiming to become the next North Korea, except not a North Korea run by a regime that is troublesome and hard to understand, but an Iran run by radical Shia clerics with intercontinental missiles that could reach the mainland of the United States eventually," the Secretary of State said.
"That's what they would have ultimately achieved… had President Trump not taken these steps that he's taken."
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Rubio accused Iran’s regime of misleading the public about its ballistic missile capabilities, saying officials "denied" their missiles could reach as far as London.
"[Abbas] Araghchi, their foreign minister, this guy is a liar," he told Fox News host Sean Hannity. "This guy was on television like a week ago – two weeks ago – denying that Iran had any missiles that could go beyond a certain limitation."
Trump has recently said the Iran conflict could last only a few more weeks, as Operation Epic Fury nears 33 days, with Rubio echoing that the end is near.
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"We can see the finish line. It's not today, it's not tomorrow, but it is coming," Rubio said.
Rubio has signaled progress in talks with Iran, noting that while Tehran remains publicly defiant, its officials are being more cooperative in private discussions.
But he said President Trump will not be "strung" along like the Biden administration.
"What President Trump is not going to allow is he's not going to allow fake negotiations to be used as a delay tactic, to buy more time, to buy themselves space," Rubio explained.
Iranian leadership remains fluid, according to reports, as Pakistan announced Sunday that it will host talks between the United States and Iran.
Rubio warned that if a deal is not reached, the United States will not stop its military campaign.
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"We're not going to allow… the failure of talks to impede our ability to defend this country and to protect this country from a real threat," he declared.
Rubio argued the Iranian regime is made up of people with destructive tendencies.
"This is a regime led by people who believe that it is their calling and their purpose in life is to usher in the end of the world," he told Fox News. "These people want nuclear weapons."
He also warned that the United States may reconsider its role in NATO once the U.S.-Iran conflict ends, as the war raised questions about the alliance’s value.
"We are going to reexamine whether or not this alliance, that has served this country well for a while, is still serving that purpose or has it now become a one-way street, where America is simply in a position to defend Europe. But when we need the help of our allies, they're going to deny us basing rights," he told Fox News.
President Trump will address the nation Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET to discuss the state of the U.S.-Iran conflict.