← Real America’s Voice
Real America’s Voice
TRUMP WARNS IRAN, RUBIO BRIEFING LIVE | AMERICA'S VOICE LIVE W/ STEVE GRUBER
00:59:55
Loading summary
Transcript93 lines
- [00:00]
Journalist
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
Steve Guerrilla
Guaranteed Human want to keep up with everything trendy.
- [00:07]
Marco Rubio
From breaking news to shareable jokes, pop culture bites to viral food spots.
- [00:12]
Steve Guerrilla
It's all on TikTok.
- [00:15]
Marco Rubio
Download TikTok now to explore.
- [00:19]
Steve Guerrilla
This is America's Voice live. And welcome to America's Voice Live. I'm Steve Guerrilla, the pulse of the people.
- [00:26]
Marco Rubio
We need somebody that's going to hear
- [00:27]
Steve Guerrilla
the people's voice, the truth the mainstream won't touch. This Gu guy is by definition a globalist. And the stories that matter, Rav's own
- [00:36]
Marco Rubio
Ben Berklam right up over this hill cartel.
- [00:40]
Jonathan Gilliam
I see him.
- [00:40]
Marco Rubio
I see him. I see him
- [00:44]
Steve Guerrilla
Live Breaking news right now here in Real America's Voice Filtered. These people are domestic terrorists and unapologetic. We're here to take a stand for God and country. Does feel good. America's Voice Live starts now. Welcome to America's Voice Live. I'm Steve Guer. Today is Tuesday the 5th of May, year of our Lord 2026. Let's get into today's top stories. As always, thank you for joining me here on Real America's Voice. Nice to see you today. President Trump recently announced Project Freedom in the Strait of Hormuz, guiding ships through the strait without fear of an Iranian attack. Pete Hegseth had a very clear message for around during a press conference earlier today. I'll show you what he had to say. Also, Alan Dershowitz, a prominent Democrat for more than 73 years has walked away from the Democrat party because of their behavior. The Democrats just keep hitting the self destruct button. So much so that sane people are just leaving. We'll have more on that. And then later, Democrats in Michigan are about to get a wake up call after their own convention. The vote there was declared a complete mess now triggering calls from the Attorney General for a full recount, a Democrat attorney general and growing concerns over voter fraud. I thought that didn't happen. We'll have all of that coming up, plus Marco Rubio. He's going to take the podium here for Caroline Levitt. Just another job for Marco and all of his assignments in Washington. We'll go to that live when it happens. Meanwhile, President Trump is moving forward with Project Freedom, a military led effort to secure the Strait of Hormuz and keep global shipping lanes open. The operation has already encountered resistance with US Forces engaging Iranian drones and missiles while escorting commercial vessels through the region. Meanwhile, President Trump escalating his warning to Tehran, saying the regime should consider surrender or face serious consequences of those attacks continue. The White House says the goal is freedom of navigation, but Iran is promising further retaliation. Join me to discuss former Navy SEAL, former FBI officer Jonathan Gilliam. Jonathan, nice to see you today. Iran tried several times to lob missiles, cruise missiles, drones. They all fell short. And from what I read, we vaporized six of those fast attack boats. Pretty good response from the United States Navy, to say the least. Nice to see you today. What are your thoughts?
- [02:59]
Jonathan Gilliam
Well, I think, Steve, you know, we're looking right now at, you know, a dominant position that President Trump and United States military has. That's no surprise. I really like the way that the President is moving slow and methodical and has rewrapped this into basically a freedom of passageway for all these ships that the United States is going to take control of so that Iran doesn't have control and can strangle any of the movement of any ship through that area. So that's all incredible. I think the President is doing a fantastic job there in reading the situation. What I would like to see, though, is that I don't think enough attention or I would even say publicity has been given to Iran's intelligence apparatus that runs the propaganda machine that is their smart weapon. And that is something that is new to warfare, relatively new. It's modern in this modern age, is that they can go online and they can spread propaganda and get groups like Gays for Palestine to jump on board and support a country that would literally kill them or people that would kill them if they could. So the reason I bring that up is because that's their smart bomb. They will try to cause pressure on President Trump to get him to move away or do something, because that's how Iran works. That's exactly the same reason why they throw missiles at countries that aren't even involved in this, because they want those world leaders to put pressure on the President. That's why they close the Straits Hormuz, so they can put pressure on the President. Because Iran doesn't work at a diplomatic negotiating table. And when they do go there, it's not for what's best for everyone. It's because they want to move their caliphate, their religious zealot, regional takeover and eventual global takeover. That's reality. That is what they want. And so we have to realize that. And I think the world needs to hear that. They need to see that, and they'll understand that diplomatic relations with Iran, it's virtually impossible because they will go around and cause this pressure if they can.
- [05:18]
Steve Guerrilla
Yeah, it's not clear to me or to a lot of folks I suppose, Jonathan, as to who's actually running the country, the IRGC clearly has military capabilities, but who is in charge of the civilian government? Is anybody in charge? Are there factions? Has it divided inside the country? Of course, such little information gets out, it's hard to determine that. So from the President's perspective, I agree with you. Take your time because you don't know exactly who you're dealing with, right?
- [05:45]
Jonathan Gilliam
Sure. And I'll tell you who really is running this country, that country is their intelligence apparatus. So this is all intertwined. Everything that happens with their proxies, with the shipping, with the online propaganda, all of that is coordinated through their intelligence operation. That is where they're the best. You know, they're really good at proxy wars. They're terrible at national, internal, national defense. But where their smart bombs exist is in the social media and media and propaganda apparatus. And so that is actually what can cause the majority of problems that the President needs to get ahead of. As he's moving nice and methodically through the real world bombs and bullets phase. I think he has to really consider this and get in front of it. Israel did not do that. And you see how things turned on them. Nobody was even talking about Israel until the war really ramped up against Hamas, which is Iran, and all of a sudden across the world and half the people that normally are conservative in this country hate Israel and talk about them like they're Hitler. And so we have to realize that that's how they work and we have to counter that and get ahead of it.
- [07:11]
Steve Guerrilla
Let's talk about economic fury, that operation freezing Iranian assets, blockades of their oil. So the oil some's being trucked out, but it by no means can keep up with oil takers that carry 2 million barrels when they load up and leave. So real economic pressure on Iran, $400 million a day being lost by some estimates. You can only do that for so long, Jonathan. And you can only pump oil. You can slow it down so that your pumps don't go sour, but you can only do that so long as well. And I've got to believe they're running out of time on that particular measure. Your thoughts?
- [07:44]
Jonathan Gilliam
Well, I'd like to see President Trump come in with a solution for that. That's a good bargaining chip where we come in so the oil wells don't shut down and somehow figure out a way where we store the oil, where we take control of that oil. Just like we're taking control of the Straits of Hormuz, we need to take control of that oil. Because if it goes bad, if those oil wells stop pumping for about three days, it doesn't take long, they go bad. And so Iran will have no more money coming in. So it would really be nice if somehow we could take over those, whether by force or not, and push them out, just like we're doing in the Straits. I just, I don't believe that Iran has the fight that they, that they try to convince everybody that they have. But when you combine that, again, with the propaganda and the pressure, they will hit anyone, anywhere, say anything at any time in order to put pressure on their enemies. And that's what they're going to do. That's what we should expect from Iran, not a conventional warfare.
- [08:47]
Steve Guerrilla
Let me ask you this victory on the other side of that. The United States currently today exporting more than 5.3 million barrels a day. That's an all time record, up from 3.9 billion million barrels a day last month. It's an all time record at 5.3 million barrels of oil a day leaving the United States, plus finished product, gasoline, diesel fuel and other things. While we're paying $5 a gallon at the pump in many places across America, we're exporting more oil and gas than at any time in American history. Do you think we should address that on the domestic front?
- [09:20]
Jonathan Gilliam
Something has to happen because I'm listening to people talk, you know, on, on the radio, and that's where you really do get the majority of voices that call in that are angry people are ready to just forget Trump over. If it's not Israel or Epstein, it's the, it's the gas prices and so the gas prices, he can do something about the people who are still overly concerned about Epstein or have vilified Israel. I don't know what we can do with people that go down that road, but when it comes to the gas prices, I think President Trump can do something about that. And it would be in his benefit long term and the midterms if they could do something about that. And I believe that they could.
- [10:03]
Steve Guerrilla
Yeah. My guess is, Jonathan, that if it gets solved in Iran sometime the next month or so, that gasoline will stabilize and drop dramatically, as will oil. Energy prices will come down. If they can further get a reduction in the interest rates in this country that will stimulate the economy, you can be in a position by later this year, before early voting starts in late September, that the economy is really cooking. But you've got to get some of these things to fall into place. And right now, as we've pointed out aptly over and over until you can get Iran to come to the table in a serious way. We're in this pattern for a bit, aren't we?
- [10:43]
Jonathan Gilliam
I think we are. But the difference is the President has all his assets in place that he needs. He's in no hurry. And as far as the Iran issue, he's in control. I do worry that one of our ships get hit and we lose. I mean, you sink one of those ships, you could lose 500 to 4,5000 people in one shot. That's bad. And that would change everything because this citizenry we have now is just so reactive and not critical thinking, and they do not go out and do their research. They're just reactive. And so that does worry me. But what I like seeing is that the President has everything in place. He's taking his time, and he's letting time expire from the actual war before he does anything, I believe, militarily, so that he can handle Congress, which is the other problem. They will immediately go back and say, you know, he's still in that same war. Well, now he's kind of turned it. He's, now it's, it's, he's escorting ships. So, but he still has all those assets in place. And I would like to see if we do carry out any strikes, I would like to see the elimination of the Houthis, the elimination of that Navy, the rest of the Navy, and those little attack boats who are more vicious than people give them credit, and a complete takeover of their oil system.
- [12:12]
Steve Guerrilla
All right, Jonathan, greatly appreciate that. We've been told that Marco Rubio is going to come out. Here he is, sir. Thank you for being here. Marco Rubio filling in for Caroline Levitt, who just had her second child. Let's go to the podium.
- [12:23]
Marco Rubio
I'll be filling in for Caroline today, obviously, so I'll have a brief remarks here, and then we'll get to your questions. As you know, over the weekend, the President announced this Project Freedom, and the goal of it is to, frankly, if you want to talk about it, it's to rescue, like, almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries that are trapped inside of the Gulf and left for dead in the Persian Gulf by this Iranian regime. For more than two months now, these innocent sailors and commercial crew members have been stranded out at sea because Iran is conducting something that's not just criminal. It's criminal for sure, but it's desperate and destructive. This blockade of the Straits of Hormuz. Nations from around the world, the overwhelming Majority of whom are not even engaged in any military hostilities, are now at risk, not just of losing their cargo, but the lives of their own citizens because of this blockade. These ships, you know, you don't leave a ship out there for this long. You start running out of food, you start running out of potable water, essential supplies. And they're at the mercy of this piracy, what it is, it's piracy. And not only that, but some of them have seen, you know, been opened fire on and rained down senseless attacks on several civilian ships already. So, frankly, the way to put it, these are innocent bystanders. These are countries and ships and so forth that have nothing to do with any of this and nonetheless are being caught in the middle of it and being held hostage merely because Iran could do that, just because of. Just as the regime brutally slaughtered tens of thousands of their own citizens for the crime of peaceful protest, because they're unhappy with the quality of life or the lack of quality of life in Iran today. And so they're sitting ducks. They're isolated, they're starving, they're vulnerable. And at least 10 sailors have already died as a result of the civilian sailors. So already many nations privately and some public publicly, have asked the United States to help free their ships and to restore freedom of navigation in the Straits of Hormuz in this critical artery of global trade. And so President Trump, as he always does, stepped up and answered the calls for their help. And he's directed the United States military to guide these stranded ships to safety, to provide a protective bubble under which they can operate and move product and get themselves out of there and out of harm's way. And this is the first step towards reopening the strait and, and bringing this regime's last ditch act of economic arson, bringing that to a close. Only we're doing it not only because we were asked, but because we're the only ones who can. Only we have the power to sort of take the steps that we've taken. Now under this president, under President Trump, the United States will help our friends. We're going to stand up to rogue regimes like the one in Tehran, and we're going to be unashamed to use our power and our abilities to project military power in the service of our national interest above all else. Now, what's really important for you to report and for everyone to understand is this is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation. And what that means is very simple. There's no shooting unless we're shot at first. Okay? We're not attacking them, we're not. But if they are attacking us or they're attacking a ship, you need to respond to that. You're not going to let some fast boat come up on a ship and shoot it up. We're going, going to respond to it and we've been successful at it. I don't know what the exact number is, but I know a number of those fast boats have now been targeted and will continue to be. If they pose a threat to our forces, we'll shoot down drones, we'll shoot down missiles. But it's defensive in nature. This is defensive. So if you hear stories about attacks and launching of firing back and forth. It's not back and forth. We are only responding if attacked first. This is a defensive operation and that's what's occurring here. Just about the importance of the straits for a moment. This is approximately, approximately a quarter of the world's oil trade, along with significant volumes of fuel and fertilizer that operate through the Straits of Hormuz. The Iranian regime cannot be allowed to dictate who uses this vital waterway. I don't think this is also being reported enough. Maybe you are reporting. I don't read everyone, I don't any damn outlets here. I don't know who you all are, but I mean, I know who some of you are, but I don't know all of you are. But I will say this about it. This is an international waterway. This is an international waterway and international law is very clear. And I love it because everybody always talks about international law. International law on this is very clear. International waterways, no country can control them. There is no international law that allows you to say, I'm going to put mines in an international body of water and I'm going to blow up ships that don't listen to us and try to go through. That's what Iran is doing. This is a criminal act and someone needs to do something about it. Something needs to be done. It's completely, completely illegal, completely illegitimate and completely unacceptable. And that's why the United States military is guiding stranded commercial ships safely through the strait and is working to restore freedom of navigation and putting an end to these efforts to hold the global economy hostage. So far, as a proof of concept and as a proof of function, two US flagged merchant ships have successfully transferred the Strait of Hormuz in the first stages of this project and they're now safely on their way. Way. The US Military is deploying the necessary assets to extend this defensive umbrella over commercial shipping. But there should be no mistake. And as I said, this already, this is a defensive operation. I want to reiterate that point. This is important to understand. If no shots are fired at these ships and no shots are fired at us, we're not firing shots. But if we're fired on, we will respond and we will respond with lethal efficiency. The assets supporting this project, by the way, include, include guided missile destroyers, over 100 land and sea based aircraft, multi domain unmanned platforms, and 15,000 of the finest military service members on the planet. These forces have already destroyed. As I told you earlier, I thought it was six. It's seven Iranian fast boats that failed to heed our warnings. And by fast boats we're talking about, you know, some of these things look like Boston Whalers. Okay, so these are not like navy ships, but nonetheless they come fast at these boats trying to try to swarm them, try to harm them. We're not going to let that happen. So seven of them now sit at the bottom of the sea along with, by the way, the rest of Iran's navy. That's where you can find their navy today. And we're going to continue to systematically clear this passageway through the straits to restore freedom of navigation. Now, while this project steadily progresses, Operation Epic Fury, economic fury, I'm sorry, continues to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime and what remains of their already frail economy. Today, inflation in Iran is 70% and their currency is in total and complete freefall. US sanctions enforcement is stepping up. It's moving in lockstep with the naval blockade to degrade Iran's capacity to generate, to move and repatriate revenue. It directly targets the regime's primary revenue lifelines. The blockade alone is costing Iran as much as 500 million a day in lost revenue. 90% of total Iranian trade has been halted, causing permanent damage to Iran's oil infrastructure as wells are forced to shut in. Again. All of this is in response to their piracy. It cannot be that you have these straits and they blow up any ship that moves and the only ships they get to go through are theirs. You can't have a situation in which the straits are close to everyone else, but they benefit from the piracy. That can't happen. That's why the blockade is in place and that's why these sanctions are crippling them. Any foreign financial, by the way, treasury is now identifying and cutting off every dollar of revenue that's flowing to this regime. And so look, any foreign financial institution or commercial actor that enables Iran's sanctions evasion is going to face secondary sanctions exposure and a loss of access to the US Financial system. As President Trump has said. And the facts clearly bear out the the United States of America holds all the cards. There is no scenario here in which, if they decide to join a ladder of escalation, they wind up getting the last say. But our preference is for these straits to be opened to the way they're supposed to be open, back to the way it was. Anyone can use it. No mines in the water, nobody paying tolls. That's what we have to get back to. And that's the goal here. Every day the conflict continues, however, our leverage on Iran will continue to increase and their position will continue to weaken, especially as the blockade really begins to bite in conjunction with the sanctions. So, look, the times come for Iran to make a sensible choice. And it's not easy for them to do that, obviously, because they have a fracture in their own leadership system. And apart from that, I mean, the top people in that government are, to say the least, you know, they're insane in the brain. And so we need to address that. And it's difficult because. Because it's hard to get past that in their system. But it's important for them to make a sensible choice and the one that's right for their people. The president, our president has proven time and again that his preference is peace. But Iran must accept the reality of this situation and come to the negotiation table and accept terms that are good for them, but ultimately good for the world. The diplomatic path, if there's a real diplomatic path, I'm not always going to be one, but if there's a real diplomatic path, and we continue to explore it, Steve and Jared are working on, on that very hard. If there is one there, it could be one that leads them to reconstruction, to prosperity, and to stability, and to not posing a threat to the world. The alternative is growing isolation, economic collapse, and ultimately total defeat. I know what the right choice is for Iran. I hope that the people over there making decisions will make the right one. The last point I would make, and it really is important for them to understand this, is they really shouldn't test the will of the United States, at least not under President Donald Trump. Trump, he has proven time and again that he will back up what he says. And if they test him, ultimately, they will lose. The hard way, the easy way, the long way, the short way, they will lose. And with that, it's time for your questions. So, Katherine, why don't we start with you first.
- [21:43]
Journalist
Hi. Catherine Herridge. I'm an independent journalist, Secretary Rubio, have you seen any recent indications that Iran is willing to give up its nuclear weapons program that is credible, verifiable and that would lead to an immediate de escalation?
- [21:57]
Marco Rubio
Well, look, this is a longstanding problem for them, right? I mean, they have wanted, they have always said they don't want a nuclear weapon. That's because they've always said that they just don't mean it. And why do you say, well, how do you know they don't mean it? Well, we don't mean it because they do all, they're doing all the things and historically have tried to do all the things that you do if you want a nuclear weapons program. For example, they innovate and try to innovate long range delivery missiles that now in some cases are capable of reaching much of Europe. They build these large underground centrifuges for enrichment activity. There are many, there are countries in the world that are involved in the enrichment business. But these guys do it in mountains and in caves and in hiding. They've always had secret components of their nuclear program undisclosed to the world. And we know for a fact that they retain highly enriched uranium at 60% that they did so. And that has no civilian use. None, zero whatsoever. So they have an opportunity here to agree to something that will make it clear that they are not interested in. One thing is to say we don't want a nuclear weapon. Another thing is to do the things that prove you don't want a nuclear weapon. By the way, if what Iran wants is a civilian nuclear program for power plants and stuff like that, there are a lot of countries in the world that have that. And they don't enrich, they import the enriched material. You know, they could have that if that's what they wanted. But they're not acting like that's what they wanted. They're acting like they want a military, you know, nuclear program that's unacceptable. So that's the process we're engaged in now to create. That's the object of this diplomacy, is to come up with some level of understanding about what are the topics that they've agreed to negotiate on. We don't have to have the actual agreement written out and one day. This is highly complex and highly technical. But we have to have a diplomatic solution that is very clear about the topics that they are willing to negotiate on and the extent and the concessions willing to make at the front end in order to make those talks worthwhile. That's what Steve and Jared and the whole team is working on. And I hope to have good news on it. That's the outcome we would prefer. That's the outcome we would have preferred a year ago. That's the outcome I think most of us would have preferred a long time ago. But that's not the option they've given us, given their activity. All right, can I. There's no way I can figure out who to call on. I'm just going to, like, press right in the middle. Right there. You right there? Yes. Yeah, in the back row. Thank you, Mr. President. I'll go to. All right, go ahead. Thank you, Secretary Rubo. Going right. Welcome to the White House. What's that? Are you talking to me, sir? Yeah, to you. Yes, sir. Thank you. I have two questions on two separate issues that come up. Do they get two questions? For these two questions? There's a lot of people in here
- [24:21]
Steve Guerrilla
that fall under your umbrella.
- [24:22]
Marco Rubio
All right. Well, you answer. You can ask me two questions. I'll give you one answer. Thank you very much. And I'll pick the one I like better. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. The first has to do with the blockade. There are lawmakers from both parties who claim the blockade is an act of war. What do you say to that? And my second question has to do with the fuel embargo of Cuba. How long, Mr. Secretary, will that last? Okay, two things. All right, good. I'll answer both your questions. Because I like the second one, too, the first one on the blockade. And so why do we have a blockade? We have a blockade because they shut down the streets. So I don't know which members of Congress you're talking to, but here's what I would ask them. I would ask everybody here. It's very simple. These guys have shut down the Straits of Hormuz. This is what Iran is saying. We will shut down the straits. No one can go through, no country in the world can go through unless we allow you to go through and you have to pay us. But our ships can go through, meaning the Iranian ships as much as they want. That's crazy. Who would agree to that? So how are we going to have a situation where they get to close the straits to everybody? And the only people who are allowed to go through there 100% without paying anything are the Iranians. If you do that, they'll keep the straits closed forever. They're trying to make this some new normal. Under no circumstances can we ever allow them to normalize the fact that they get to blow up commercial ships and put mines in the water. So the response to that is, we're Going to blockade your ships. If everyone's ships are not getting out, your ships are not getting out either. That's not an act of war. That's a defensive measure. It's a counter to what they have decided to do. You know what is an act of war? Putting mines in the water. Why don't the members of Congress, whoever it is that's complaining about it, they should be all over that these guys put mines in the water. That alone, mining in the water is illegal, period, under any circumstances. And they've done it. This is crazy stuff, but this is what they've done on Cuba. Oil blockade on Cuba. There's no oil blockade on Cuba per se. Here's what's happening with Cuba, okay? Cuba used to get free oil from Venezuela, used to give them a bunch of free oil. They would take like, 60% of that oil and resell it for cash. It wouldn't even go to benefit the people. So the only blockade that's happened is the Cubans have decided. I mean, the Venezuelans have decided we're not giving you free oil anymore. And you can only imagine nowadays, the way oil prices are, no one's giving away free oil, much less to a failed regime. So the problem with Cuba is worse, okay? Their economic model doesn't work. Doesn't work. And the people who are in charge can't fix it. And the reason they can't fix it is not just because they're communists. That's bad enough, but they're incompetent communists. The, the only thing worse than a Communist is an incompetent one. And that's what. So incompetent communists run that country. They don't know how to fix it. They really don't. And we have, 90 miles from our shores, a failed state that also happens to be friendly territory for some of our adversaries. So it's an unacceptable status quo. And we'll be addressing it, but not today. Okay? All right, let's go to the front right there. Secretary Rubio.
- [27:03]
Journalist
Secretary Rubio, you are going to the Vatican to meet with the Pope. Is this an attempt to smooth things over with the Pope, given the rhetoric between President Trump and Piplio?
- [27:13]
Marco Rubio
Mr. No. I mean, it's a trip we had planned from before, and obviously we had some stuff that happened and. No, look, there's a lot to talk about with the Vatican. I'll give you one example. The Pope just returned from a trip to Africa, where the church is growing very vibrantly, and we have shared concerns about religious freedom. Religious freedom in different parts of the world. We'd love to talk to them about that. The topic of Cuba, you know, we gave Cuba $6 million in humanitarian aid, but obviously they won't let us distribute it. We distributed it through the Church. We'd like to do more. We're willing to give more humanitarian aid to Cuba, by the way, distribute it through the Church, but the Cuban regime has to allow us to do it. They won't allow us to give their own people more humanitarian aid. And we're willing to do it through the church. So there's a lot to talk about.
- [27:51]
Journalist
And the President recently said that the Pope is endangering a lot of Catholics as a result of his rhetoric around the Iran war. Is that a sentiment?
- [28:00]
Marco Rubio
Well, I don't think that's an accurate description of what he said. I think what the President basically said is that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon because they would use it against places that have a lot of Catholics and Christians and others for that matter. It goes back to the central point. I think the President, without trying to speak for him, but I think I can characterize it this way. He doesn't understand why anybody. Leave aside the Pope, the President and I, for that matter. I think most people. I cannot understand why anyone would think that it's a good idea for Iran to ever have a nuclear weapon. Look what they're doing with the Straits right now. They're holding the whole world hostage. They have these sailors, you know, on commercial ships that are going to starve to death out there. They don't care. They don't care that this is melting down economies around the world, even of their own allies. This is what they're doing with the Straits. What do you think they would do if they had a nuclear weapon? They would hold the world hostage with that nuclear weapon. That's what they would do. They would do exactly. To the world with a nuclear weapon. What they're doing now with the Straits. And I think the President's point is how anyone cannot see that as an unacceptable outcome and an unacceptable risk is beyond him. It's puzzling, and someone has to do something about it. The difference between this president and like the six presidents that preceded him were that he's the only one that's actually been willing to do something about it. Everyone says Iran can't have a nuclear weapon, but you got to do something about it at some point. And he's been willing to address that threat. And that's what he promised he would do when he got elected. By the way is address threats like this. I wish I knew your name. I apologize. Can you put name tags on? Thank you so much. Mr. Secretary, who are you with? Who are you with? I'm with Rudau media network. Okay. Mr. Secretary, the President has said multiple times that weapons were provided to the Kurdish groups to pass on the Iranian people. However, Kurdish political parties and the regional government says they have not received such weapons. Even some claim these weapons remain in the US Military base in the region. Can you clarify who those weapons were given to and whether you intend to retrieve them or still want to pass to the Iranian people? Yeah, look, ultimately, what the President is expressing and I think has repeatedly is he wished the Iranian people had. You know, look, he's heartbroken by these images. You think about it, you're an Iranian, okay? You're unhappy that your economy doesn't work for you. You don't have freedom. You don't have an opportunity to express yourself. You know, you've got friends that have been shot in the head because. Because they're out protesting. And he just. It's heartbreaking to him to see that these people are abused in this way and have no measures to take against their own government as a result of it. By the way, this goes back, if you guys remember the protests in 2009 where they slaughtered people in the street. This is a vicious regime, guys, okay? These are people that hang people from cranes in the town square so everyone can see. They continue these executions of people and have done. Continue to do so for over a decade and a half now. And so I think what the President is expressing is the desire that he wishes the Iranian people had an ability to fight back against some of these things that are happening to them. And I would view that as distinct and separate from the specifics of this operation that was ongoing before it concluded and certainly different from the operation that's going on now. Right there in the. Regarding Colombia, Mr. Secretary, right behind you. Not Colombia, right. Right there. Yes, ma'. Am.
- [31:01]
Journalist
Mr. Secretary, thank you so much. On Lebanon, are we in a ceasefire or less? Fire. And the second question. Do you think you would be able to achieve an agreement between Lebanon and Israel without risking a civil war in Lebanon? What are you doing to risk. What are you doing to.
- [31:20]
Marco Rubio
No, I got it. I got the gist of your question. So, look, here's the challenge with Lebanon, okay? There's no problem between the Lebanese government and the Israeli government. Israel doesn't claim any land in Lebanon belongs to them. And by and large, I think a peace deal between Lebanon and Israel is imminently achievable and should be. The problem with Israel and Lebanon is not Israel or Lebanon. It's Hezbollah. Hezbollah operates from inside of Lebanese territory. They terrorize and attack Israelis, but they also are inflicting tremendous damage on the Lebanese people. The reason why Lebanon gets attacked by Israel is because of Hezbollah, because Hezbollah is hiding in some house, launching rockets against Israelis, and then they get hit. So what you're seeing now is Israeli responses to either attacks or perceived threats. And this is going to be. This is not new. This has been going on for a very long time. What is our hope? Our hope is to engage the Lebanese and Israeli governments under, you know, our mediation at the table to achieve this. And that is having Lebanese armed forces and a Lebanese government, not just with the willingness, but with the capability to begin to challenge Hezbollah and disarm them. Because the Lebanese people are also victims of Hezbollah. And by the way, on the topic of Hezbollah in Lebanon, who is behind Hezbollah? Why do they exist? They're an agent of Iran. If you go through that Middle east and you identify every problem, Hamas, Hezbollah, to some extent the Houthis, obviously, and others, behind every one of these groups is Tehran. So apart from the nuclear weapons, apart from all these other things, these guys are behind all the bad actors. Hezbollah is a wing. It's an extension of Iranian desire to destabilize the region. So we're very committed to this process. It's not going to be easy. You're asking me a complex question. You know, this has been going on for a very long time. It's not going to be easy. We're going to do everything we can to make sure that both sides continue to talk so that progress can be made on some sort of permanent ceasefire that isn't constantly spoiled by Hezbollah and by Hezbollah violence right in the middle. Thank you, sir. I'm winging it, guys. Okay, right there. Yes. You mentioned the two US Ships that safely crossed the Strait of Hormuz. Are other ships being told it's safer to get back to regular levels, or are we still going to see limits in place for the foreseeable future? Well, for obvious reasons, I'm not going to broadcast who we're talking to or who we're telling them to move. I mean, we want these operations to be safe. And I think as it unfolds and ships get through, we'll make those announcements after the fact, just for operational security purposes. But the goal here is pretty simple. Establish a zone of transit that is protected by a bubble, the United States, both naval and air assets and then allow ships who want to move to move through there and get to market to begin to increase confidence in the ability to do so. That doesn't happen in 12 hours. It takes time to set up that bubble and gain that confidence. But that's the goal. We have been in touch, we've been in touch, I don't know, with a bunch of different liners about moving and we're hoping to continue to improve the security situation and we'll start to see some of that movement and we'll announce it as it happens after the fact. We're not going to be like broadcasting, hey, tomorrow at 12, ship X is going to be coming through for obvious reasons because that degrades the security. But we feel confident we're going to be able to achieve that. Look, it's not going to solve the whole straits problem. It's going to solve a lot of it. But it's important to challenge what Iran is doing now. Guys, again I want to, if you take anything away today, and I can't tell you what to write, but Iran cannot be allowed to normalize this control of the streets. It's completely unlawful, illegal, it's outrageous. And every country in the world should be joining us and condemning it and doing something about it. But the United States has stepped up and is trying to do something about it. Regarding Colombia, Mr. Secretary, I'm sorry, We'll see if we get to Colombia today. Go ahead. You guys have an election out. Why don't you wait till after your election? Mr. Secretary, John Michael Ross with Daily Mail. I was curious about your meeting with Southcom earlier. There was a picture, a map of Cuba behind you. What is, what did you discuss with Southcom about Cuba? Did you have any updates on. I'm not going to tell you what I discussed with southcom, but it had to do something with Cuba. Well, I mean Cuba's in southcom, you know, it's the closest part. And so the second point, I was there, our ambassadors were in from the whole Western hemisphere. I was addressing them, you know, meeting the general who just took command of southcom. And there happened to be a map of Cuba. And I said it'd be good if we took a picture in front of that map because it's like the closest thing in SOUTHCOM to the United States. So there it is. We have maps of other countries but huh, what about Greenland? Didn't you have to know Greenland? No, they didn't have that map in the red right there in the red?
- [35:36]
Journalist
In the red. Okay. Can I ask you in Spanish or can I ask.
- [35:40]
Marco Rubio
Yeah, you can answer in Spanish. They'll have to translate for them what you asked.
- [35:44]
Journalist
I'll say it in English and if you can answer in both languages. Today I drink the webpage of the State Department and there's still a $25 million bounty on Yozado Cabello, the Secretary of Interior, for drug trafficking and narco terrorism. I was wondering if that has been put on hold or if you're negotiating with President Percy Rodriguez to turn him over.
- [36:07]
Marco Rubio
Yeah, I don't have any updates for you on that. The website is what it is and that's where it stands. That policy hasn't changed. But, guys, I mean, let's be mature here a little bit. I'm not going to tell you about what we're talking about with the leader of these countries. The politics of the United States on that. The policy of the United States on that topic hasn't changed. When it does, you know, obviously we'll inform you, but I don't have any news for you on that today. Right there in the green. I'll get to you. Are you guys all the TV people? Go ahead. I'm sorry. Go. I'm learning. They gave me a little map. I don't know where I put it of the people here. Some of you had like, red X's. I'm kidding. No, that's not true. Go ahead.
- [36:53]
Journalist
Thank you, Mr. Secretary. The average price of gas in the country right now is $4.50. Do you have a thought on how long Americans are supposed to kind of accept this? Do you think it will affect Republicans, majorities in the midterms?
- [37:05]
Marco Rubio
Well, I don't. I'm not going to speculate on the politics of it. You can tell me. Look, it's obviously being driven by global events. That. That was true during the Russia, Ukraine war as well. Where you saw that come up. It's one. Look, we don't benefit from the straits as much as other countries. I don't know. You've seen what the gas prices are like in other parts of the world that are really suffering big time. So we're very fortunate that the United States, I believe, right now is like the world's largest net exporter of oil and natural gas as a result, not because of this world, but because we have this capacity. So we've been insulated to some degree. We're obviously still vulnerable to some. Some extent to global prices. And so. But in the end, I mean, we're more insulated than other countries, even though that's not welcome news to Americans that are paying more at the pump. No doubt about it. And it certainly is one of the circumstances of it. There are people that we're predicting would be much higher at this point, but we're not taking that for granted. Suffice it to say that this is, think about it this way. Everybody needs to think about it this way. If Iran had a nuclear weapon and they decided to close the straits and make our gas prices like $9 a gallon or 8, $8 a gallon, we wouldn't be able to do anything about it because they have a nuclear weapon and a nuclear armed Iran could do whatever the hell they want with the straits and there's nothing anyone would be able to do about it. And that's one of the many reasons, apart from like the massive loss of life in a nuclear strike, why Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. I mean, so this is an example of if they had a nuclear weapon, they closed the straits and they would tell the world, what are you going to do about it? We have a nuclear weapon, we can attack you with it. That's the world none of us want to leave behind. It won't happen under this president's watch, but some future president and future, you know, and the future Americans will have to deal with this. So just one more example of why these guys can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. Right there in the black, right? You in the black. Yes, ma'.
- [38:41]
Journalist
Am. Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
- [38:42]
Marco Rubio
Where you. No, right there. You, you both are wearing black.
- [38:45]
Journalist
Thank you.
- [38:46]
Marco Rubio
She's closer. No, you don't have black. You have blue on. I'm colorblind, but I know blue and black right there. Yes, ma'. Am. No, no, you the first one I called on. Thank you.
- [38:53]
Journalist
Mr.
- [38:53]
Marco Rubio
Thank you. This is chaos, guys. Go ahead. Welcome to the White House.
- [38:58]
Journalist
You've long been a leading voice on human rights in China and so including religious persecution and forced organ harvesting. So President Trump prepares to meet Xi Jinping next week. Do you expect human rights concerns to be on the table?
- [39:11]
Marco Rubio
Mr. Well, we always raise those issues and they remain true. And I think we've proven in some cases it's most effective to raise them in the appropriate setting. But we always raise those issues. They're important to some, with others, of course, but those issues remain prominent in our view and in our conversation about these things, and we'll continue to raise them in the appropriate forums. All right, let's get to the front. These guys are going to get mad. Go ahead. I'm sorry.
- [39:32]
Journalist
Thank you segment. Kim, the Associated Press. You mentioned earlier that some countries have privately and publicly indicated their willingness to help with Project Freedom. Can you say how many have reached out to the US with the offers of help and what kind of capabilities?
- [39:45]
Marco Rubio
Well, I mean that. Thank you for your question. That's a good question. I mean, multiple countries have said we've got to do something about it and fix it.
- [39:51]
Journalist
Is it like dozens or single digits or more than 100 or I don't know.
- [39:54]
Marco Rubio
I don't put a number on it. I would just tell you that. Here's what I would say about it. The capabilities is the issue. Okay. A lot of countries would love to do something about it. They don't have a navy, right. Or they can't get there in time or they can't. Others, you know, unless you know that some, unfortunately do have a navy, are saying, oh, we'll be involved, but we'll be involved after it's over. After it's over. It's kind of like, you know, that makes sense. So, you know, we'd like to have it now. There may be some utility in a post, you know, closure mission. I'm not downplaying that, but I think that's been the challenge. But there are other ways they can help, unique ways that they can help. And I don't want to get into who these countries are for obvious reasons, you know, because they are prepared to help us in certain ways, but maybe don't want that publicly disclosed for no other reason than it impacted foreign policy. It could have some defense domestic ramifications. But ultimately, I don't want to mislead you. The primary responsibility for this Project Freedom is on the United States because we're the only country that can project power in that part of the world the way we're doing now. We're the only ones that can do it, and we're going to do it as a favor to the world. Understand this. This is a favor to the world because it's their ships that are stranded. It's their fuel supplies that are stranded, by the way. It's their humanitarian. There's humanitarian aid destined for different countries in the world that's stranded in the Persian government Gulf right now. It's the fertilizer that they need for their food and crops that's stranded in the Persian. Not our fertilizer, their fertilizer. So we want to be helpful and that's why the president stepped forward, because we're the only ones that can frankly, we're the only ones that can.
- [41:18]
Journalist
Mr. Secretary, on the rising oil and gas prices, the President has said that this is a small price to pay for getting rid of a nuclear weapon. But 10 weeks in, are we any closer to getting rid of Iran's nuclear material?
- [41:28]
Marco Rubio
Yeah, but look, here's the way to think about Iran. And this is what I described at the very beginning of this. What was Iran's plan? You have to understand what their plan was. Their plan was they were going to build this conventional shield where they would have so many thousands of missiles and drones and rockets that they couldn't be attacked. And behind that conventional shield that they were trying to build, they would then break out and do whatever they wanted with their nuclear program. They no longer have that conventional shield. Okay, we told you guys from the very beginning, and we're very consistent in this message. The operation that has concluded was going to destroy their navy. They have no navy left. They don't. Not a navy. They have small boats and Boston Whalers, but they don't have a navy left. They don't have an air force. I challenge you. When is the last time you read or heard about an Iranian jet flying anywhere? They don't have an air force. Their missile launching capability has been substantially degraded. And their industrial base, their defense industrial base has been severely, severely damaged. So their ability to build a shield behind which they could hide their nuclear program was wiped out. That's a very substantial achievement. And that was the purpose of this operation from day one.
- [42:28]
Journalist
They hid their nuclear material in order for this war to end.
- [42:31]
Marco Rubio
Well, that's one of the topics that needs to be discussed. I don't know about. I think you're linking it. The operation is over. Epic fury as the President notified Congress. We're done with that stage of it. Okay. We're now onto this project of freedom as far as the negotiation is concerned. I think the President has been clear that part of the negotiation process is has to be not just the enrichment, but what happens to this material that's buried deep somewhere that they still have access to if they ever wanted to dig it out. That has to be addressed, and that's being addressed in the negotiation. I'm not going to go further on what progress has been made on that topic because I don't want to endanger the negotiations. But suffice it to say that the President and this entire team is aware of the centrality of that question, and that will have to be addressed one way or the other. Right there, Right there. Thank you so much.
- [43:15]
Journalist
Thank you. Secretary. I have another two part question for you. First, are you taking part in those negotiations that you just detailed there? And then secondly, President Trump has made it clear that the US doesn't rely on the Strait of Hormuz. So why should Americans even care about Project Freedom and these shipping tankers going through?
- [43:35]
Marco Rubio
Mr. Well, I think on the second point is the one I want to address first, and that is why should Americans care and why it matters to us? Because ultimately these things have an impact on the global economy, which ultimately has an impact on our economy in the long term. That's number one. Number two, because if we live in a world where a rogue state like this Iranian regime is allowed to claim as a new normal control of our international shipping lane, it will not be long before you see that happen in multiple shipping lanes around the world. I can identify for you six or seven, six or seven vital shipping lanes around the world that some countries can decide, guess what? If Iran was able to do it, we're going to do it too. We're not going to start charging tolls and it'll get closer and closer to us. That's unacceptable. We cannot live in a world there's a lot of time and energy been invested behind the idea that international waters are free for the free flow of goods, the stuff we make in this country and export has to go through international shipping lanes. And for us to live in a world where a country can decide now we own the international shipping lane and you have to pay, pay us if you want to use it. That is a normal that we will never be able to accept. And that's what the Iranians are trying to get us to do. So we're doing two things about it and we haven't talked about the second one enough. The second thing we're doing is we're going to the U.N. everybody loves the U.N. right? We're trying to go to the U.N. and we're saying, okay, countries of the world condemn this, say that it is wrong for you to put mines there. It is wrong for you to shoot at commercial vessels. Guys, that's what we're talking about here. These guys are bombing commercial vessels. They're not bombing naval vessels, they're bombing commercial tankers. It's just outrageous. That needs to stop and it needs to end. And if he doesn't, then the world should be diplomatically and economically isolating Iran as well. But if we live in a world where global shipping lanes can be taken over by countries, that'll have a direct impact on Americans in the short and the long term. And we can't let it start by Iran doing it. And we're the only ones that can do anything about it. All right. Right there in the bridge. Go ahead. Go ahead. Yes,
- [45:29]
Journalist
Mr. Secretary, does the president intend to press Beijing on its Taiwan policy when he visits China next week?
- [45:35]
Marco Rubio
I'm sure Taiwan will be a topic of conversation. It always is, as you know. We understand that the Chinese understand our position on that topic. We understand theirs. And I think both parties, without, you know, getting ahead of myself of what will happen in the talks, but I think both countries understand that it is neither one of our interests see anything destabilize happen in that part of the world. We don't need any destabilizing events to occur with regards to Taiwan or anywhere in the Indo Pacific. And I think that's to the mutual benefit of both the United States and the Chinese.
- [46:06]
Journalist
Secretary Albraz. Kara Castano from Lindell tv, thank you for taking my question today. How does the State Department.
- [46:13]
Marco Rubio
What happened? Why is everybody giggling? What happened? Oh, I'm sorry. Are they nighting me?
- [46:18]
Journalist
No, they're not being.
- [46:19]
Marco Rubio
Oh, okay.
- [46:19]
Journalist
I don't think they are. I hope not. But I'm Karen TV and nice to ask you a question today, sir. How does the State Department interpret the president's recent remarks when he said, quote, the Iranian people need to have guns, and I think they are getting some guns, end quote. What did he mean? And do those comments relate to any ongoing or potential US Actions like supplying those weapons?
- [46:38]
Marco Rubio
Well, I think it goes back to the question I was asked a moment ago. I think the president thinks it's heartbreaking that the Iranian people are abusing by this regime the way they are in the end. I mean, this regime is not. Guys, I know I've said this. I think I said this in my hearing before the Senate when I got confirmed. I don't know of any country in the world where there's a bigger difference between the people and the people who run the country, okay? This country is run by radical Shia clerics, and that's not what Iran and the Iranian people are. Now, they may be Shia, but they're not radicals and they're not clerics. And they just want a normal life and a regular life and in many ways, a very cosmopolitan country with an incredible history. Incredible history, an incredible legacy and the like. So there's this huge divide between the people of Iran, whom we sympathize with and who the president sympathizes with because they're the ones suffering. Look, the world is a victim of Iran, okay? The world is a victim of Iran because they're terrorists, because of what they're doing now in the streets. But the people of Iran are daily victims of the regime. And the president has deep sympathy for what they're going through. And I think he's just expressing that sympathy and, and that frustration that they don't have the ability to do more, to get rid of this regime that has crushed this country and isolated it from the world, which is a country that shouldn't be isolated from the world because its people are phenomenal. All right, I wish I had, like a dice. Go ahead. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no, no. Right there. Because I'm going to Italy. Okay. He's Italian. I know him. He used to cover Capitol Hill. You're Italian, right? For many years. For many years. Thank you, Mr. Secretary. So I have two short questions for you. First, as you head to the Vatican in Italy, how do you view the Pope's global role amid current geopolitical shift? And what are your objectives in Italy? Is this trip tied to recent remarks by the president suggesting Italy has not been supporter as expected? And the second one is about the Hezbollah in Lebanon. On a recent interview on Fox News, you had some, you raised some concern about stronger vetting within the Lebanese armed forces. Can you, what do you make, can you elaborate a little bit? Yeah, I've answered the first one about the Vatican. Look, I mean, the Pope is obviously the Vicar of Christ. He's a Roman Catholic, you know, but he's also the head of a nation state for, you know, better. And it's an organization that has a presence in over 100 something countries around the world. And we engage with the Vatican quite a bit because they're present in many different places. I've already outlined to you two examples. We worked with the Catholic Church on the distribution of humanitarian aid in Cuba. We share with the Catholic Church a concern about the destruction of religious liberty, the persecution of Christian minorities, and also, you know, the challenges that are being faced by Christians in Africa, where the Pope just recently visited. So we have a lot to talk about with them, and I engage with them quite a bit on that front. So the trip is really not tied to anything other than the fact that it would be normal for us to engage with them, and other secretary states have done that in the past. On the second point about Lebanon, also a question that was asked earlier, and what was the Italian about the expectation that the President. Oh, no, look, I mean, the Italians have been involved there quite for some time in training the police and in training their forces. So we'd love to hear their input on it. And in the way. Look, we welcome everyone. Help. Eventually, what has to happen in Lebanon, what everybody wants to see is that you have a Lebanese government with the capability to go after Hezbollah and take the Hezbollah apart. There shouldn't be, like. There shouldn't be a Hezbollah and a government. There should be a government. Everyone should fold underneath it. And if we do that, then there'll be peace between Israel and Lebanon. But we have. But. But we have to build the capacity of the Lebanese to do it. And I think Italy could be helpful in that, in that regard. Did I call on you already? You already got a question in the green. Did I call on you already?
- [50:19]
Journalist
No.
- [50:19]
Marco Rubio
Okay. All right, go ahead.
- [50:21]
Journalist
You mentioned the UN resolution that you announced today. Can you talk about what the goal is with that resolution? And there was a similar one last month that was vetoed by China and Russia. You spoke to the Russian foreign minister. Do you have an assurance that Russia will be on board with this now?
- [50:35]
Marco Rubio
Well, we don't know. Yeah, look, I mean, everyone wouldn't want to see this vetoed again. And then we've made some slight adjustments to the language, but I don't know if it will avoid a veto or not. But the language isn't very complicated, and I think it's a real test for the un, Right. As a function, as something that functions, that can solve global problems. What is the purpose of the un? The UN was supposed to be a place where you could peacefully resolve global conflict. Right now you have a country who is unlawfully, criminally, and illegally taking possession of an international waterway and blowing up commercial vessels and putting mines in the water. I don't know if people appreciate, like, how outrageous this is, how unacceptable it is that any country would fire and try to sink commercial vessels or put mines in the water. Both of these things are illegal. And so we're going to take it to the UN and we're going to give it another chance to be a forum in which we're not even asking people to, like, commit troops to the region and help blow up their Iranian boats. All we're asking them to do is to condemn it, to call on Iran to stop blowing ships, to. To remove these mines and to allow humanitarian relief to come through because there's humanitarian aid that's trapped. That's it. This is a very modest request. And if you're telling me that the international community and hundreds of countries cannot rally behind that, then I don't know what the utility of the UN system is if it can't even solve something as straightforward as that. And I think to both the Chinese and the Russians, I would argue and have argued that it is in their interest for that resolution to pass and for pressure to be brought on Iran because it is in their interest not to see international waterways, including the Straits of Hormuz, be closed down and cause economic chaos to dozens and dozens of countries around the world. Okay, back row, Yellow tide, back row. CBN News.
- [52:15]
Steve Guerrilla
You've had a deep faith for God and country. At the end of the day, with
- [52:21]
Marco Rubio
all that you've bought in. Keep going. You've been extremely busy. Go ahead. I'm sorry, as we all know, I
- [52:26]
Steve Guerrilla
got to ask you, what is your
- [52:27]
Marco Rubio
hope for America at a time such as this? My hope for America? And how do you personally deal with that? Yeah, look, I mean, my hope for America is what it's always been. I think it's the hope I hope we all share. We want it to continue to be the place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything. Where you're not limited by the circumstances of your birth, by the color of your skin, by your ethnicity. But frankly, it's a place where you are able to overcome challenges and, and achieve your full potential. I think that should be the goal of every country in the world, frankly. But I think in the US we're not perfect. Our history is not one of perfection, but it's still better than anybody else's history. And ours is a story of perpetual improvement. Each generation has left the next generation of Americans freer, more prosperous, safer. And that is our goal as well. But it is a unique and exceptional country. And as we come upon this 250 year anniversary, I think we have a lot to learn and be proud of in our history. It is one of perpetual and common continuous improvement where each generation has done its part to bring us closer to fulfilling the vision that the founders of this country had upon its founding. So. All right, I have time for two more questions. All right. Right there in the pink. No, no, no, you right there, that. No, that lady. No, the one right next to you in the pink. No, no, no, no, no, the pink. I'm sorry, but I pointed at her. I need to get a laser pointer on this guy. Now you in the pink jacket. The lady right there. Thank you.
- [53:49]
Journalist
Thank you very much. Mr. Secretary, I have a question on Iran China relations.
- [53:53]
Marco Rubio
Okay.
- [53:54]
Journalist
What's your reaction to Iranian foreign minister visit to China? Also Beijing instructed its firms to ignore U.S. sanctions. Could you also address that?
- [54:04]
Marco Rubio
Well, I'll direct you to treasury on that front. There are options that we have. If you ignore our sanctions, you're going to find secondary sanctions and I don't have an announcement for you on that today. But we don't do these things, you know, for symbolic purposes. On the first point about the visit, it's fine. I hope the Chinese tell him what he needs to be told and that is that what you are doing in the straits is causing you to be globally isolated. You're the bad guy in this. You guys should not be blowing up ships, you should not be putting mines, you should not be holding hostage the global, trying to hold hostage the global economy. I hope the Chinese bring, whether it's done privately, but I hope it's done directly that that's the message they deliver to them. As I outlined earlier today, China is an export driven economy. Okay. I'm not here to speak on behalf of what's in the best interest of China, but it's obvious China is an export driven economy. That means they depend on other countries to buy from them. Well, you can't buy from them if you can't ship it there and you can't buy from them if your economy is being destroyed by what Iran is doing. So it isn't Iran. It is in China's interest that Iran stop closing the straits. It's harming China as well. The gentleman in the red tie right there. Yes, I'm sorry, what's your name?
- [55:12]
Journalist
Liz Landers with U.S. news article. Another question about the China, Iran relationship. You said at the beginning of your comments at the top that every single financial situation will be targeted. Does that include Chinese banks? Would the president.
- [55:25]
Marco Rubio
We're going to enforce our. I don't have an, I don't have an announcement for you. That will have to come from Treasury. But we have sanctions in place and sanctions don't mean anything unless you know you're going to do something about them. So I think that's been clear. I think that, you know, the treasury will follow up with any specific announcements. Suffice it to say we're serious about our sanctions. A cost needs to be imposed on Iran for what they are doing. Otherwise if they get away with this, guys, if they get away with being pulling this thing off without paying a price for it and backing down, you're going to see multiple places where around the world where other countries are going to be tempted to do the same. This is unacceptable. Again, I want to Reiterate the point. We keep arguing back and forth about the war and the shooting and this and that or the other these guys have shot are shut down. An international waterway, the Straits of Hormuz do not belong to Iran. They don't have a right to shut it down and blow up ships and lay mines, and that's what they've done. That needs to be addressed. Otherwise, and it cannot be normalized under no circumstances until we live in a world where we accept, okay, this is normal. You have to coordinate with Iran. You have to pay them a toll in order to go through the Straits of Hormuz. Not only is that unacceptable in the straits, you're creating a precedent that could be repeated in multiple other places around the world. The whole world should join us in this condemnation, and the whole world should join us in doing something about it. By the way, it shouldn't just be us. We're hoping to get countries. We're going to give them a chance to do something about it at the United Nations. All right, last. All right, that lady in the. Right there in the white.
- [56:50]
Journalist
Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
- [56:58]
Marco Rubio
Okay, I'll do two more, and then I gotta go. Yeah, go ahead. Iran has shown what? Okay.
- [57:05]
Journalist
Iran has shown that it's been able to withstand a lot of pressure. And yesterday President Trump has said that they may run out of oil storage in two weeks. Do you believe that that will be the thing that gets them to the table to give up their nuclear ambitions? And if not, what will be that thing?
- [57:21]
Marco Rubio
Well, look, they're suffering devastating damage to their economy, you're right. But it's not that they're able to withstand pressure. It's that they don't care that their people are suffering. You understand? Right. There's a difference between we can withstand pressure and we actually don't care. Now, I think there are people in their system that care more than others. You know, some of the elected people that you see, some of the people you see on television with the suits on, you know, those guys care because they know at the end of the day, they have to live in the reality. And then you have another element of their government, the clerical, the clerics, the IRGC types, who probably are more immune to that and care less. They're more interested in regime survivor at all costs. But ultimately, the pressure points are what they are.
- [57:55]
Journalist
Are they divided now than they were before? Because the administration has said that the Iranian regime is divided, making it very challenging.
- [58:02]
Marco Rubio
Well, it's been challenging to deal with them diplomatically because, for example, an Offer will be made, and then it takes five or six days to get a response, because you have to get it through the whole system. They have to find the Supreme Leader. Wherever he hides, they got to get him to sign off. And that's their system. Their system has always been multilayered in this way. It's obviously become more complex because of the damage they suffered during the war. But, look, suffice it to say, Iran has to pay a price. They're not going to change their position out of the kindness of their heart. There has to be a pressure point on them that causes them to realize they cannot continue to close the Straits or they face crushing economic consequences. But also global diplomatic isolation, which they have proven in the past to be susceptible to. But you're right, they have a high pain threshold, but they don't have an unlimited pain threshold. Nobody does. All right, this has to be the last question. Go ahead.
- [58:51]
Journalist
Many people want to know, what is your DJ name?
- [58:54]
Marco Rubio
My DJ name?
- [58:55]
Journalist
Your DJ name.
- [58:57]
Marco Rubio
You're not ready for my DJ name.
- [58:59]
Journalist
And then on Islamic views on the war, if the fighting were to resume. Because you've said that Operation Epic Fury is over, the President also said that the US Would bomb them off the face of the Earth if they tried to go after US ships. So if the fighting resumes, are you saying that it would resume under Project Freedom? And I ask, as it relates to the War Powers Act.
- [59:19]
Marco Rubio
Yeah. Look, the Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. I'm not going to. You know, we're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What the President would prefer is a deal. He would prefer to sit down, work out a Memorandum of Understanding for future negotiations that touches on all the key topics that have to be addressed. A full opening of the Straits so the world can get back to normal. And he prefers that be negotiated through the. The route that Steve and Jared have been working and that all of us have been supporting. That's the route he prefers. That is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen. And so the result has been that the United States has to do something about the fact that we're the only nation on Earth that can do anything to open up a lane within the Straits of Hormuz to get product and to rescue these people that are trapped in there. And that's what we're undergoing now. What that may lead to in the future is speculative. I'm not going to speculate about what it would take or what it would do. But look, the message to Iran these guys are facing, they are facing real catastrophe.
- [60:15]
Journalist
Hate cleaning, hate scrubbing, hate dishwashing. Bro, we got you millions of videos about smart cleaning hacks will make your chores feel like a breeze.
- [60:26]
Marco Rubio
Download TikTok and check it out.