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Source: U.S. Consulate In Dubai Has Been Hit By Suspected Iranian Drone and is on Fire; Source: U.S. Consulate In Dubai Hit By Suspected Iranian Drone; Israel Hits Tehran & Beirut As Iran Strikes U.S. Gulf Allies; Rubio Speaks As Iran War Escalates. Aired 3-3:30p ET
Aired March 03, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[15:00:13]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: We do have breaking news on the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran. Right now, we are just minutes away from the full Senate getting its first war briefing from the Trump administration.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: This as we're learning from a source that the U.S. consulate in Dubai has reportedly been hit by a suspected Iranian drone and is currently on fire. This new video appears to show the smoke billowing over the complex. Three U.S. embassies in the region are closed as the State Department is urging U.S. citizens to leave the region. Let's go to CNN's Kylie Atwood who has some new reporting.
Kylie, what are you hearing?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so we're learning that this consulate right now is on fire. This is the U.S. consulate in Dubai. It is a suspected drone attack that caused this fire that we're seeing. This happened overnight in Dubai, so presumably, hopefully, there weren't too many deaths. We'll have to watch and see if that's the case.
But you should note that there are always Marines around these U.S. consulates that are constantly providing protection. So, we are waiting to learn more from the State Department, from the Pentagon, and of course from the White House on the situation here. It's clear that these Iranian drones are targeting these U.S. assets in the region.
We saw last night, of course, the U.S. embassy in Riyadh that was on fire as a result of incoming drone strikes. And while this is occurring, we have been talking about the Americans in the region who are wanting to get out. And we just learned in the last hour, according to the State Department, that in the last several days, there are about 9,000 Americans who have safely gotten out of the Middle East. Now, this note from the State Department's Office of the Spokesperson
doesn't say if the State Department actually facilitated all those exits, but there are Americans who are leaving the region. We know, of course, there are ones that are on the ground here -- there who are trying to leave.
Another thing that we learned from the State Department in the last hour is that they are going to be -- excuse me, the department is facilitating charter flights from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan for American citizens. So, one of the things they have been telling these Americans in the region is to enroll in their STEP program so they can get information.
So, if those Americans are enrolled, presumably they'll be getting information about these charter flights that the U.S. government is now getting out of those countries.
SANCHEZ: A significant step.
ATWOOD: Yes.
SANCHEZ: Kylie Atwood, thank you so much for that. Let's go live to Tel Aviv now with CNN Anchor Erin Burnett.
Erin, explosions have been heard recently where you are. What's the latest you're learning?
ERIN BURNETT, CNN ANCHOR, ERIN BURNETT "OUTFRONT": We've had some explosions here in the hours of the night. Right now, it's just about 10 o'clock here in Tel Aviv. About an hour and a half ago, between 8 and 9, we had a series of explosions and they were serious throughout the day here. Some of them coming from Iran. We understand those were cruise missiles, other sorts of rockets coming north from Hezbollah.
As we're getting more information, it's -- as Kylie is saying, you know, this is spreading and American assets are targets as well as American allies are targets. It seems likely that the situation with the consulate in Dubai is going to end up being a situation, hopefully, where there were no injuries and it was empty given the time that it happened, as we're waiting to confirm that detail. But it appears that's probably going to be the case in that situation. But you had the strike against the embassy in Riyadh, one of the most fortified embassies.
I mean, I've been to that consulate in Dubai. That is obviously sort of, you know, in the midst of a neighborhood, right? Not as heavily fortified as you might see with an embassy and certainly not in other countries like Saudi Arabia. But the UAE has been the recipient after where I'm standing right now of the most attacks from Iran since this began. On the other hand, you've got the IDF in the U.S. coming out with strikes in both Tehran and the IDF in Beirut.
The United States saying that they've struck nearly 2,000 targets -- 2,000 targets since this began, 1,700 from the very latest that they're getting. And Israel is saying that they were able to successfully strike and their obviously target count will be higher than that of the United States, able to target where a group of senior clerics were meeting to go ahead with the first process of a vote to elect a new supreme leader.
Now, the gathering in person to begin with is sort of stunning in the context of what we're seeing. But Iranian state media is saying that that had been evacuated before the strike. That's what we're hearing from Iranian sources. Unclear what happened, but that's what we're hearing. Let's go to Nick Paton Walsh in Central Israel.
And, Nick, when we heard those explosions not long ago, you're even closer to where they were because you're up closer to the border of this now new front where you've got Israeli ground troops as well as back and forth fire going on. What are you learning?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, moments before you heard those blasts, we saw a rocket fly over our heads when we were up in Kiryat Shmona right on the northern Israel, southern Lebanon border that may well have been connected to the incident you saw.
[15:05:09]
But it is one of a rare few occasions during the day where comparatively few Hezbollah projectiles, missiles, drones haven't seen got through, damage to one house earlier in the morning. Two drones tried to creep through in one instant. We saw about 12 impacts on the hillside next to a seemingly targeting what looked like a Israeli position around there.
So, Hezbollah, it seems desperately trying to make their presence felt, but not doing so in a way that replicates late 2024 when the Israeli military put their first assault against that Lebanese militia group that is an Iranian ally. Hezbollah stepped forward and said yesterday they would be avenging of the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, launched some projectiles and have now, as of this morning, found the Israelis committing ground troops, not to an invasion, but to essentially fortifying or increasing the security of the buffer zone, really, that five positions that Israel have kept inside Lebanon have been providing, hoping really not to have to evacuate the areas to the north of Israel, as they did in late 2024.
Israel, though, too evacuation orders spreading in southern Lebanon, causing great panic and ecstasies north, and also too now telling representatives of Iran to get out of Lebanon in the immediate future. So, a sense of Israel's campaign ultimately spreading, definitely a sense that we are seeing an enfeebled Hezbollah, still recovering from the violence of 2024 that decimated their ranks.
And Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, saying, look, you know, we are going to disarm them. So potentially a lengthy process ahead here, but certainly Hezbollah, many questioning why in its current weakened form, it picked this fight. Ideological to the core, certainly, depends how long this really goes on for us, to how many civilians are caught in the middle of this.
BURNETT: Nick Paton Walsh here in Israel with me in central Israel tonight. Thank you so much. Boris and Brianna, back to you.
KEILAR: All right, Erin, thank you so much.
And still to come, we have more on our breaking news. A source saying the U.S. consulate in Dubai has been hit by a suspected Iranian drone and is currently on fire. We'll have that and much more coming up on CNN NEWS CENTRAL.
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SANCHEZ: We're continuing to follow breaking news out of the Middle East. We just received new video of the U.S. consulate in Dubai. A source telling CNN the building was hit by a suspected Iranian drone and is currently on fire.
KEILAR: New video from the area appears to show the smoke billowing over the complex. U.S. embassies across the Middle East are also shutting down as Iran is ramping up attacks in the region. So, let's discuss all of this now with Joel Rubin, who is a former deputy assistant secretary of state under President Obama. He's also the author of "The Briefing Book" on Substack. And we're joined by Beth Sanner as well, a former deputy director of national intelligence and a CNN National Security Analyst.
So, Joel, what is your reaction to what we're watching develop right now, the suspected Iranian drone strike at this consulate in Dubai?
JOEL RUBIN, FORMER DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE, OBAMA ADMINISTRATION: Well, you know, Brianna, it is something that we should have expected. There are a lot of soft targets all around the region of the United States, not to mention our allies. And then, of course, that's not to mention outside the region. It's depressing. It's upsetting, of course, for the American personnel who are serving there and for those in the neighborhood who are affected. And hopefully there's no loss of life.
But I think in the bigger picture for the United States, this means that right now we need to make it the highest priority possible to get our people into safe spaces. That means getting them out. That means providing DoD assets to airlift people out as necessary. That means really scaling down. This is not a permanent scale down. It's not a sign of weakness. And I worry the administration may think that's the case and maybe they're trying to be coy. But these are American lives that are at stake right now. So, scale down, get remote and try to weather this storm right now.
SANCHEZ: Beth, the President earlier today expressed some surprise at how widespread Iran's retaliation has been. Were you surprised that they've reacted this way against some of their neighbors?
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: No, because, you know, obviously, when you are the weaker party, you have to think kind of strategically about how are you going to deal with an overwhelming force. And one way is you hit the pain points of your adversary, right? In this case, us. And the way to do that is through the Gulf to try to get them to pressure us to stop.
And then we're also seeing, you know, the French base hit, the U.K. base hit in Cyprus. And again, trying to find these kind of weak points from -- from their perspective. I don't think that that's working so far. You know, we'll have to see how long this lasts and whether this pain grows. But, you know, it's always a battle of the wills. That question of will and longevity, Joel, is an open one. Do you suspect that at some point these Gulf allies, if it gets bad enough, will turn to the White House and suggest that the war needs to end perhaps sooner than President Trump would want?
RUBIN: Well, you know, Boris, think of Iran as a tiger. And it's a tiger in a corner right now and it's lashing out. It can't lash out permanently. And I think our allies, they need to have some calm as well. But we need to reassure them. We need to send assets to them. We need to communicate with them. That was not necessarily done effectively prior to the launch of the strikes, but there is still time to do it. And that means that all of our partners and allies in the region, as well as in Europe, need to be treated as such.
[15:15:04]
That will calm the nerves, keep them on our side. Right now, the paradox is that Iran has pushed them to our side. And that is an advantage that we have. It's a strategic failure by Iran. Look what's happening in Lebanon, for example, with Hezbollah unleashing attacks. Now, the Lebanese government wanted to wash its hands of that. So, these are opportunities. The administration needs to take advantage of that diplomatically.
KEILAR: Beth, there are a lot of policymakers who, you know, they're shedding no tears for the Ayatollah, for sure. We should be very clear about that. But they have a lot of concerns about some of the disorganized elements that they've seen of how the Trump administration is carrying out this conflict. And that would be sort of the communications on this, right? What is the objective? What is the justification? They've been all over the map on that.
The evacuations, which now it sounds like they're kind of starting to work to get some of these flights out or to even just start moving towards that. But there are really questions about whether the State Department was prepared for that. And then, just what you heard from the President about kind of being surprised about the reaction here that this has prompted. What does that tell you when you look at all those data points?
SANNER: A couple of things. One is that, you know, we don't really know how far in advance this was planned or decided. But we know from the military planning that there were preparations going on as a contingency at least for a long time. And you remember at the beginning of January when President Trump said to the Iranian people, help is on the way and carrier groups were ordered to move and then another carrier group.
And so, you know, these signals should have been picked up by the interagency process. But I don't think and what I mean by that is there are a series of meetings at different levels in the U.S. National Security among the agencies where you plan things. But I think because such an operation was held very closely, but also because then you didn't have senior leaders saying, well, you know, you should plan for all contingencies. I don't think that process is working right now in this administration.
And so, that's where these kinds of problems happen.
SANCHEZ: I wonder, Joel, as we talk about a potential endgame and -- and the future, and we learned that Israel targeted a compound where there -- there was a meeting that was supposed to happen between these senior clerics and they were going to decide who the next supreme leader would be. Does the U.S. resolve this without having to invest more? In other words, can the U.S. walk away and not have some influence, some say, some positive relationship with whoever is next leading to Iran?
RUBIN: I surely hope that they're exploring every avenue right now on the ground with the variety of dissident leaders, as well as leaders in the Iranian government that could potentially be new leaders going forward. Israel is going to go for it and they're going to keep on, excuse me, doing these strikes and hitting targets aggressively. For our purposes, we need to make sure that we are getting an end state and having a vision that ends this war with somebody in Iran that keeps the country relatively together and not implode. That is in our long-term security interest.
So, that does not mean it's going to happen overnight, but it can't be delayed and waited upon until some (INAUDIBLE) ...
KEILAR: Let's go straight to Marco Rubio. Sorry, Joel, he's on the Hill. Let's listen in.
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: We have identified and continue to identify charter flights, military flight options, and expanded commercial flight options, meaning working with the airlines to send bigger airplanes with more seats and the combination of those three things.
The impediment we're facing now in many cases, we've had a couple instances in which we have planes in the air and on the way, and unfortunately the airspace gets closed and they have to turn back around. So, we're working through those challenges.
Here's the message I want to deliver Americans who are in the Middle East and in need of assistance. It is very important, and I ask this of the networks as well. It is important for you to please put both the website and the phone numbers on your screens, because we need -- we need to know where you are. We need to -- we need to have contact information for Americans that need assistance.
They have to register with us, because as these options begin to open up, and as they open up, we have to be able to call you, we have to be able to reach you, we have to be able to know where you're staying, so we can get this information to you and coordinate appropriately. And it'll be a variety of methods, charter flights, military flights and transports, expanded commercial opportunities, and in some cases, land routes that will allow them to go to neighboring countries who might have open airports at that point.
So, it's a lot of different things here that need to happen in order to move people, but it all starts by knowing that you're there. It all starts by knowing that where you are and how we can get a hold of you. So, I'm asking the networks and all of the media outlets, please publicize the -- the two phone numbers that we've put out, as well as the website, so people can contact us and register.
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We've had, you know, thousands of people call already. As I said, we've identified 15 -- almost 1,600 that are requesting assistance with departure, but we need you to please be able to identify that.
As I came in, I also saw the media reports about Dubai's consulate. The -- the last update I had with seconds before getting before these cameras was that a drone unfortunately struck a parking lot adjacent to the -- to the Chancellery building and then set off a fire in that place. All personnel are accounted for, as you're aware.
We began drawing down personnel from our diplomatic facilities in advance of this. In the cases, for example, of Beirut, we basically drew down to bare bones, as well as in -- as -- as in Baghdad and Erbil and in a couple other posts as well.
So, we've been very fortunate, obviously, but our embassies and our diplomatic facilities are under direct attack from a terroristic regime. With an update, I will obviously refer you to the Department of War. Suffice it to say that our objectives remain as they've been identified from the beginning and by the President laid out clearly yesterday. Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and we will now -- not allow Iran to hide behind the immunity of a massive short-term ballistic missile inventory or the ability to make them or launch them.
And so CENTCOM, in joint operations, is carrying out a systematic destruction of their missile belt, destruction of their launchers, and destruction of their ability to make these, as well as the destruction of their Navy. From what I've been told by the Department of War, everything is on or ahead of schedule and proceeding on these objectives. We have every confidence in the world that these objectives will be achieved.
The last point I would make is, and I said this yesterday and I repeat, what's about to -- you know, you're about to see -- you know, we're going to unleash Chang (ph) on these people in the next few hours and days. You're going to really begin to perceive a change in the scope and in the intensity of these attacks as, frankly, the two most powerful air forces in the world take apart this terroristic regime and defang it and take away its ability to threaten its neighbors or hide behind a zone of immunity that allows them to develop their nuclear ambitions.
This terroristic, radical, cleric-led regime cannot be ever allowed to have nuclear weapons. We saw what they were willing to do to their own people. They were willing to slaughter their own people in the streets. Imagine what they would do to us. Imagine what they would do to others.
Under President Trump, that will never, ever happen. All right?
(CROSSTALK)
RUBIO: Please, I can't hear them all, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Secretary, yesterday, you told us that Israel was going to strike Iran and that's why he needed to get involved. Today, the President said that ...
RUBIO: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... Iran was going to get ...
RUBIO: Yes, your statement is false. So, that's not what he -- I was asked very specific. Were you there yesterday?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
RUBIO: Okay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I asked the question.
RUBIO: No, did you -- were you the one that -- because somebody asked me a question yesterday. Did we go in because of Israel? And I said -- you asked me that, that follow up. And I said, no, I told you this had to happen anyway. The President made a decision and the decision he made was that Iran was not going to be allowed to hide behind its ballistic missile program, that Iran was not going to be allowed to hide behind its ability to conduct these attacks. That decision had been made.
The President systematically had -- made a decision to systematically destroy this terroristic capability that they had. And we carried that out. I was very clear in that answer. This was a question of timing of why this had to happen as a joint operation, not the question of the intent.
Once the President made a decision that negotiations were not going to work, that they were playing us on the negotiations, and that this was a threat that was untenable, the decision was made to strike them. That's what I said yesterday. And you guys need to play it. And if you're going to play these statements, you need to play the whole statement, not flip it to reach a narrative that you want to do. All right? Go ahead.
(CROSSTALK)
RUBIO: Excuse me. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you make of the War Powers Resolution that (INAUDIBLE) ... RUBIO: I mean, Congress votes on those. They can, if they want. There's mechanisms for it. We've complied with the War Powers Act, even though we believe it's unconstitutional, as has every other administration. Every other president has found the War Powers Act to be unconstitutional. Nonetheless, we notified Gang of Eight, which was an appropriate mechanism by which to notify Congress.
We -- we sent the notification within 48 hours, the way the law requires. I'm here today to have, I don't know, my sixth or seventh briefing before the entirety of the House and Senate, which is far more than I ever got from any administration in the time that I was here, certainly when I was a member of the Gang of Eight.
And so, we've complied with all -- we've over complied with the law and what it requires. This is an action by the President to address a real threat -- a real threat. This is hostilities designed to eliminate a threat to the safety and the security of the United States and to our allies, all right?
(CROSSTALK)
RUBIO: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was there a plan in place to evacuate Americans before the attack?
RUBIO: Well, that's the plan we're trying to carry out. The problem is, or the challenge we are facing is airspace closures. If a country closes their airport -- for example, in some cases, the airports have been hit. So, the airport in Kuwait was hit. So, if an airport's been attacked or the airspace is closed, then we can have the planes lined up to go, but we can't get them to land because we don't have the permissions to land there.
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So, that's the challenge. But rest assured, we are confident that we are going to be able to assist every American. As I told you, right now we have about -- about -- a little over 1,500, maybe closer to 1,600 Americans requesting assistance, and we know that we're going to be able to help them.
It's going to take a little time because we don't control the airspace closures. That said, there may be more people out there that need help. We need to know who you are. So please, I'm asking the media, publicize the phone numbers and the website because we need people to call in so we have their name, we have their contact information, we have their location, and they're requesting.
So, as these opportunities begin to open up, we can act very quickly to reach them and get them out of harm's way.
(CROSSTALK)
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Secretary, Mr. Secretary, Mr. Secretary, I want -- I want to just clarify what you said. I want to just clarify what you said because you said ...
RUBIO: There's nothing to clarify.
RAJU: ... well, but you said (INAUDIBLE) ...
RUBIO: No, but you have to read -- you're going to read the sentence.
RAJU: But your quote is about, we knew that there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that would precipitate an attack against the American forces.
RUBIO: Yes, I know, I understand. But listen, all right, we got -- let me understand question.
RAJU: And that's what -- that's what ...
RUBIO: Yes. But I had a very specific question from that gentleman, right?
RAJU: And the President said -- Well, the President said (INAUDIBLE) ...
RUBIO: Hold on a second. I asked a very ...
RAJU: ... he may have forced Israelis ...
RUBIO: Okay, but let me answer because this is my press conference.
RAJU: Okay.
RUBIO: The -- you asked me, I was asked a very specific question. So, you guys can -- misrepresent it, but I was asked a very specific question yesterday. The bottom line is this. We -- the President determined we were not going to get hit first. It's that simple, guys. We are not going to put Americans troops in harm's way.
If you tell the President of the United States that if we don't go first, we're going to have more people killed and more people injured. The President's going to go first. That's what he did. That's what the President will always do. He will always put the safety and security of our men and women in uniform and of all Americans before anything else. He's always going to do that. And that's what he did here.
In addition to that, I would argue that this threat from Iran, they are hiding behind these missiles and hiding behind these drones. They wanted to reach a point where you couldn't touch them and then they could do whatever the hell they wanted with their nuclear program. And there was no way in the world that this terroristic regime was going to get nuclear weapons, not under Donald Trump's watch.
RAJU: So, the U.S. attack has nothing to go with Israel, it has nothing to do with Israel.
(CROSSTALK)
RUBIO: All right. Hold on, go ahead. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) this operational. There's a general question of why the President gave the greenlight. And then, there's a question of why did it have to happen this weekend? Are you saying it had to happen this weekend because of that Israeli action?
RUBIO: No, that -- this weekend presented a unique opportunity to take joint action against this threat. And (INAUDIBLE) we wanted this to have maximum success. We want this operation to be successful at achieving its objectives. I'll repeat the objectives. The President laid them out yesterday. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It cannot have, and therefore it cannot have the things it was hiding behind to have a nuclear weapons program. What are those things?
Number one, we are going to destroy their missiles and their missile launchers. We are going to destroy their capability to make these missiles and these launchers, and we are going to destroy their navy. Those are the objectives. And this weekend, acting at this time gave us the highest probability of success in achieving those objectives. And as the Department of War will brief you, we are on or ahead of schedule to do that.
(CROSSTALK)
RAJU: The U.S. attack would have happened no matter what? Would the U.S. attack have happened no matter what Israeli -- Israel is planning to do?
RUBIO: The ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Israel is going to act with or without (INAUDIBLE) ...
RUBIO: The President had already made a decision to act. On the timing ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) ...
RUBIO: The President acted on the timing that gave us the highest chance of success. And that's what you're seeing play out right now. You're seeing it play out right now, and you'll see it in the days to come. We will systematically take apart their missile program. We will destroy their ability to sponsor terrorism, by the way. We will destroy their factories. We will destroy their Navy. Those objectives are going to be met. We're well on our way to meeting them. It will not be easy. There will be a price to pay for it, but we -- that is a much lower price to pay than having a nuclear-armed Iran.
I've got to go brief these guys.
(CROSSTALK)
RUBIO: Hold on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you clarify -- can you clarify what you meant ...
RUBIO: Yes. Yes, ma'am..
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: ... by the imminent threat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How heavily does the administration's (INAUDIBLE) ...
RUBIO? The -- what now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How (INAUDIBLE) the administration ...
RUBIO: Well, that's not our notification to Congress. Our notification -- listen, let me explain to you guys this in simple English, okay? Iran is run by lunatics, religious fanatic lunatics. They have an ambition to have nuclear weapons. They intend to develop those nuclear weapons behind a program of missiles and drones and terrorism that the world will not be able to touch them for fear of those things. And this is the weakest they've ever been.
Now is the time to go after them. The President made the decision to go after them, take away their missiles, take away their Navy, take away their drones, take away their ability to make those things so that they can never have a nuclear weapon. That's why the President made this decision. It was the right decision, and the world will be a safer place when these radical clerics no longer have access to these weapons.
You see how they're using them now. Imagine how they would use them a year from now if they had more of these. All right, I got time for one more.
(CROSSTALK)
RUBIO: Yeah, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Several Democrats criticized what you said and ...
RUBIO: Yes, of course they could have. The question is, several Democrats criticized? They're going to always criticize. We've been doing this for years, guys. They'll come out -- they're -- I'll tell you right now, they're going to come out after the briefing and say, we didn't hear anything. We have more questions than answers. You mark my words. But we still do these briefings. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Secretary, their criticism was on the timeline. They said that Israel is dictating the timeline for the United States.
RUBIO: No, the President ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And as you know, several people on the right have also agreed with that. How would you respond to that?
RUBIO: Well, I -- the United States made a decision under -- the President of the United States made a decision. This is intolerable. Iran cannot have these missiles, cannot have these drones, cannot threaten the world.
[15:30:01]
The President said this is the weakest they've ever been. If we don't hit them now, a year from now, a year and a half from now, no one will be able to touch them and they'll be able to do whatever they want.