The United States should not rule out any arrangement with Iran that leads to peace and security in the Middle East, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for state secretary Senator Marco Rubio said on Wednesday.
"My view of it (Iran) is that we should be open to any arrangement that allows us to have safety and stability in the region, but one in which we're clear-eyed," Rubio said during his confirmation hearing.
“Any concessions we make to the Iranian regime, we should anticipate that they will use ... to build their weapons systems and to try to restart their sponsorship of Hezbollah and other related entities.”
Rubio is considered a hawk on Iran and has been a vocal critic of president Joe Biden’s policy on the country.
His inclusion in Trump’s senior team alongside other Iran hawks has raised concerns in Tehran and ignited debate on potential talks with Washington.
"I don't know of any nation on earth in which there is a bigger difference between the people and those who govern them than what exists in Iran," Rubio continued. He characterized the Islamic Republic’s leadership as unrepresentative of the country's population and rich cultural history.
Rubio painted a picture of a ruling system in crisis, highlighting its struggling economy, rolling blackouts and weakening influence across the region. "Iran and that regime is at its weakest point in recent memory, maybe ever," he said, pointing to setbacks in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a crumbling domestic infrastructure.
The executive branch led by president Mohammad Pezeshkian and the more moderate camp appear to be cautiously exploring avenues for dialogue while hardliners in the parliament and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) remain staunchly opposed.
“I imagine that within that regime…there are two schools of thought,” Rubio said.
“There's one group that's saying … we're really in trouble here. We need to find an off ramp and buy ourselves some time, he added. "And then there's another group…saying that now is the time to prove that we are a nuclear power," he said, "enrich from 60 to 90 (percent enriched uranium) and press go.”
Iran has begun a new round of nuclear negotiations with European powers, hoping to find an agreement that would avert a snapback of sanctions that were suspended in 2015 as part of an international nuclear agreement.
That deal has been all but dead since Trump withdrew the United States in 2018.
The president-elect has not ruled out another deal with Iran but emphasized Iran will not be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Rubio concurred and argued Iran poses a threat to American interests and leaders.
"Think about this for a moment,” he said, “when was the last time you heard that a foreign government is actively, openly and admittedly seeking to assassinate the former Secretary of State, the former and soon-to-be President of the United States, and others?"
The US Justice department alleged last year that an Afghan national was tasked by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with assassinating Trump. Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, have denied such a plot.
Despite his sharp criticism of Iran’s leadership, Rubio expressed hope for a future that recognizes the Iranian people's aspirations. "Anything that we do with Iran needs to be clear-eyed about who that regime is, but also who those people of Iran really are, because they're not their leaders."
