Return to Transcripts main page

CNN News Central

Marco Rubio Holds White House Briefing as Tensions Escalate in Strait of Hormuz. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired May 05, 2026 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: ... 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 -- right behind you, not Columbia, right there, yes, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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?

RUBIO: No, I got it. I got the jest of your questions. So look, here's the challenge with Lebanon, OK?

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 our mediation at the table to achieve this. And that is having Lebanese armed forces and a Lebanese government, not just with a 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 to 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 there. I'm just -- I'm winging it, guys. Right there, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You mentioned the two U.S. 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?

RUBIO: 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 wonder 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 Straits. 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.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Regarding Colombia, Mr. Secretary, we've had several -- I'm sorry.

RUBIO: I'm sorry. We'll see if we get to Colombia today. Go ahead. You guys have an election. Why don't you wait until after the election?

MICHAEL ROSS, DAILY MAIL: Mr. Secretary, I'm 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 did you discuss with SOUTHCOM about Cuba? And do you have any updates on --

RUBIO: I'm not going to tell you what I discussed with SOUTHCOM.

ROSS: But it had to do something with Cuba.

RUBIO: No, I was -- 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, 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?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about Greenland? Did you have to go to Greenland?

RUBIO: No, they didn't have that map then.

[15:35:00]

In the red. Right there in the red.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the red. OK. Cristina, Telemundo, Mr. Secretary. Can I ask you in Spanish or can I ask you in English?

RUBIO: Yes, you can answer in Spanish. You can ask me in -- do I have to translate for them what you ask me?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, I'll say it in English. And if you can answer in both languages. Today, I took a -- the webpage of the State Department.

And there's still a $25 million bounty on Diosdado 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 Delcy Rodriguez to turn him over.

RUBIO: Yes, 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: El Departamento de Estado sigue considerando a Diosdado Cabello un narcoterrorista y un narcotraficante, como dice en la pagina del Departamento de Estado?

RUBIO: La politica de Estados Unidos en este tema no ha cambiado, y cuando cambie te dejaremos saber.

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?

All right, 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 have, like, red Xs. I'm kidding. No, that's not true. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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 midterm?

RUBIO: Well, I don't -- I'm not going to speculate on the politics of it. You can tell me -- I mean, look, it's obviously being driven by global events. That was true during the Russia-Ukraine war, as well, where you saw that come up.

It's one of -- look, we don't benefit from the Straits as much as other countries. I don't know if 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 -- I believe right now is, like, the world's largest net exporter of oil and natural gas as a result -- not because of this war, but because we have this capacity.

So we've been insulated to some degree. We're obviously still vulnerable, to 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 were predicting it 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 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'd close 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. You in the black? Yes, ma'am.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

RUBIO: Where are you? No, right there. You, you, you. I know you both are wearing black. 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

RUBIO: Thank you. This is chaos, guys. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the White House.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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?

RUBIO: 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 us, among 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. (INAUDIBLE) 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 U.S. with their offers of help, and what kind of capabilities?

RUBIO: Well, I mean, thank you for your question. That's a good question. I mean, multiple countries have said, we got to do something about it and fix it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is it like dozens or single digits or more than 100 or?

RUBIO: I don't know. 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, OK? A lot of countries would love to do something about it. They don't have a Navy, right? They can't get there in time or they can't. Others, you know, are less, 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.

Well, after it's over, it's kind of like, you know, that makes sense. So, you know, we'd like to have it. And there may be some utility in a post-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.

[15:40:00]

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 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 aid destined for different countries in the world that's stranded in the Persian Gulf right now. It's the fertilizer that they need for their food and crops that's stranded in the Persian Gulf. 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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? RUBIO: Yes, 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, OK?

We told you guys from the very beginning, and we're very consistent in this messaging, 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But do you have their nuclear material in order for this war to end?

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, OK?

We're now on to this project of freedom. As far as the negotiation is concerned, I think the President's been clear that part of the negotiation process 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. Yes, yes, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. I have another two- part question for you.

RUBIO: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First, are you taking part in those negotiations that you just detailed there?

And then secondly, President Trump has made it clear that the U.S. doesn't rely on the Strait of Hormuz. So why should Americans even care about Project Freedom and these shipping tankers going through?

RUBIO: 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 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, OK, 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 it 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 will 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 green. Go ahead. Go ahead. Yes.

[15:45:00]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Secretary, does the President intend to press Beijing on its Taiwan policy when he visits China next week?

RUBIO: I'm sure Taiwan will be a topic of conversation. It always is. As you know, we understand the -- the Chinese understand our position on that topic. We understand theirs. And I think both parties -- again, without 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 to 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.

[Speaker 20] Secretary. Secretary Hey, Cara Castaneda from Lindell TV. Thank you for taking my question today. How does the State Department --

RUBIO: What happened? Why is everybody giggling? What happened?

Oh, I'm sorry. Are they being mean?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, they're not being mean.

RUBIO: Oh, OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think they are. I hope not. But I'm Cara from Lindell 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 U.S. actions like supplying those weapons?

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 abused 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. OK?

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 and 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, OK? The world is a victim of Iran because they're terrorists, because of what they're doing now in the Straits. 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 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. Yes.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Right there. Because I'm going to Italy. OK. He's Italian.

I know him. He used to cover Capitol Hill. You're Italian, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For many years.

RUBIO: For many years. OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. So I have two short questions for you.

RUBIO: Oh, damn. Two questions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First, as you head to the Vatican in Italy, how do you view the Pope's global role and the 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 as supportive 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. What do you make? Can you elaborate a little bit?

RUBIO: 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. But he's also the head of a nation-state. 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 of 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 part?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: About the expectation that the President.

RUBIO: Oh, no, look, I mean, the Italians have been involved 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 everybody's 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 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 will be peace between Israel and Lebanon. But we have to build the capacity of the Lebanese to do it. And I think Italy could be helpful in that regard.

All right. Did I call on you already? You already got a question in the green. Did I call on you already?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.

RUBIO: OK, all right. Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You mentioned the U.N. resolution --

RUBIO: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- 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.

[15:50:37]

You spoke to the Russian foreign minister. Do you have an assurance that Russia will be on board with this now?

RUBIO: Well, we don't know. Yes, 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'll avoid a veto or not. But the language isn't very complicated.

And I think it's a real test for the U.N., right? As a function -- as something that functions that can solve global problems. What is the purpose of the U.N.? The U.N. 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 U.N. 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 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 U.N. 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.

OK. Back row, yellow tie. Back row. Back row. Yes, sir. Yes, yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: CBN news. You've had a deep faith for God and country. At the end of the day, with all that you've been involved in --

RUBIO: I'm involved in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've been extremely busy --

RUBIO: Go ahead. I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- as we all know. I got to ask you, what is your hope for America at a time such as this?

RUBIO: My hope for America?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how do you personally deal with that?

RUBIO: Yes, 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 achieve your full potential.

I think that should be the goal of every country in the world, frankly, but I think in the U.S., 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 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, thank you. All right.

I have time for two more questions. Right there in the pink. No, no, no.

You right there. 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. Just go ahead. Now you in the pink jacket. The lady right there. Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. I have a question on Iran-China relations.

RUBIO: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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?

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 face 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, OK?

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 is in 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?

LIZ LANDERS, PBS NEWSHOUR: Liz Landers with PBS NewsHour.

RUBIO: OK.

LANDERS: 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 --

RUBIO: We're going to enforce those sanctions. LANDERS: --sanction Chinese banks with a recourse to Beijing?

RUBIO: I don't have an announcement for you. That will have to come from Treasury. But we have sanctions in place.

[15:55:00]

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 pulling this thing off without paying a price for it and backing down, you're going to see multiple places 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 and the other. These guys have 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 can we live in a world where we accept, OK, 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, you're my last question. All right, that lady in the -- right there in the white. Right next to him.

Hold on. Stop for a second. Go ahead. OK, I'll do two more, and then I got to go. Yes, go ahead.

Iran has shown what? OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 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?

RUBIO: 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are they less divided now than they were before? Because the administration has said that the Iranian regime is divided, making it very challenging.

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, you know, 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.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Secretary, many people want to know, what is your DJ name?

RUBIO: My DJ name?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your DJ name.

RUBIO: You're not ready for my DJ name.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then, 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 U.S. would bomb them off the face of the Earth if they tried to go after U.S. 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.

RUBIO: Yes, look, 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, so the world can get back to normal.

And he'd prefer that that be negotiated through 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 catastrophic destruction to their economy, generational destruction to their economy, generational destruction to the wealth of their country imposed on themselves by the actions that they're taking. They should check themselves before they wreck themselves in the direction that they're going.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Does the White House believe that these votes coming up in Congress are a moot point, then?

RUBIO: Look, guys, I love talking about this topic. It's about the War Powers Act. OK, I love it. I was hoping somebody would ask. All right, hold on, hold on. No, no, you don't let me answer. I got to answer the question ...

END