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What We Know with Max Foster
Clashes In Strait Of Hormuz Put U.S.-Iran Ceasefire At Risk; Trump: Iran Plays "Games", But Wants To Make A Deal; Rubio Holds White House Briefing Amid Shaky U.S. Iran Ceasefire. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired May 05, 2026 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:19]
MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: The ceasefire with Iran is not over, says the Pentagon.
This is WHAT WE KNOW.
Despite trading fire and trading taunts, the U.S.-Iran truce remains in place for now.
The Pentagon's message today, the U.S. operation to guide vessels through the Strait of Hormuz is temporary and purely defensive in nature.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked whether a return to combat operations is imminent after recent Iranian attacks on U.S. forces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: No, the ceasefire is not over. Ultimately, this is a separate and distinct project, and we expected there
would be some -- some churn at the beginning, which -- which happened. And we said we would defend and defend aggressively. And we absolutely have.
Iran knows that, and ultimately, the president is going to make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a ceasefire. But
certainly, we would urge Iran to be prudent in the actions that they take to keep that underneath this threshold.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, meanwhile, Tehran still sending a defiant message. Iran says it's launched a new system to govern vessels transiting through the Strait
of Hormuz.
This also denying an attack. The United Arab Emirates in recent days.
So, we've heard from the Pentagon. Any minute now, we're going to hear from the White House. The press briefing is due to get underway any minute now,
and it's a bit different because Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is away on maternity leave. Now, this one will be hosted by the secretary of state,
Marco Rubio. We'll bring that to you as it begins.
National security reporter Haley Britzky joins me now.
First on this press briefing, it's going to be an interesting moment, isn't it, seeing someone else take the helm. What do you expect to come from it?
HALEY BRITZKY, CNN U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Certainly, Max. So I mean, the big question we're hearing right now, as we saw the president be
asked about earlier today and at the Pentagon, as you mentioned, is this issue of the ceasefire and what will happen next? It's on shaky ground, as
you mentioned, Iran and the U.S. have traded fire in the last 48 -- 24, 48 hours. General Dan Caine said this morning that Iran has attacked U.S.
forces more than ten times since the ceasefire began, but said that it was below this threshold of restarting major combat operations.
When asked what that threshold was, he said that, you know, Iran -- what the attacks Iran had been launching was low harassing fire right now, that
it didn't quite lead up to the need to respond. But certainly, that is a top of mind question right now going into this press briefing with
Secretary Marco Rubio.
We know that, as Secretary Hegseth said, they're kind of trying to differentiate here between this project freedom of supporting freedom of
navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the active military operations, the Operation Epic Fury, they're trying to draw a distinction here.
And Secretary Hegseth saying they are separate, and this is a separate and distinct project. He hasn't really explained how that is, of course,
Project Freedom was sort of necessary because of U.S. military operations that closed down the Strait of Hormuz because of Iran taking that step.
And so, what will come of that, how the U.S. will respond? President Trump saying today what would constitute a violation of the ceasefire? He said,
you'll find out.
So, certainly, something that we expect to be hearing from Secretary Rubio here any moment now, Max.
FOSTER: Okay, Haley, thank you so much.
Well, President Trump says nobody would challenge the U.S. naval blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian troops as the U.S. continues its
pressure campaign against Iran. Mr. Trump is saying again that Iran wants to make a deal, despite what Iranian officials might be saying publicly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can say this, Iran wants to make a deal. What I don't like about Iran is they'll talk to me with
such great respect, and then they'll go on television. They'll say, we did not speak to the president. We did not. I just spoke to -- we did not speak
to the president.
So, they play games. But let me just tell you, they want to make a deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Kevin Liptak standing by for us.
Obviously, you're standing by for this -- you know, press conference. How much difference does it make that a cabinet secretary is holding it?
Presumably they can't avoid questions in the same way as a press secretary would be able to.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I mean, I think that Marco Rubio is someone who is somewhat deft in deferring questions about things
he doesn't want to answer for. And I do think it's interesting because Rubio himself has not actually been at the very center of this Iran war.
That has been a role that has been held by Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary. Even the diplomacy is being handled by J.D. Vance or Steve
Witkoff or Jared Kushner. Marco Rubio is not someone who has been a public face of this conflict by any means.
But there's no question that that will be I think what he gets asked about the most when he comes here to the podium to brief.
Now, he is the secretary of state. He's also the national security adviser. So, it's not as if he is an irregular presence at the White House itself.
He's the first person to hold dual roles like that since Henry Kissinger. So, it will be interesting to hear him talk about how President Trump is
thinking about this war as someone who I think can reflect a little bit of how the president is thinking about is the ceasefire holding? Does he want
to resume the bombing campaign?
Everything we've heard from President Trump would suggest that he's somewhat reluctant to resume a war that is unpopular in the United States
and has now stretched well past the six week mark of when he originally said that this would end.
You know, the other issue that I think is going to come up in this briefing is the trip that rubio has scheduled for later this week to the Vatican.
He's expected to meet with Vatican officials, potentially even to meet with Pope Leo. I think it's clearly an attempt to try and smooth over some of
these tensions that have emerged between the president and the pontiff. You know, President Trump really going after Pope Leo for his stance on the
Iran war, for suggesting, in Trump's words, that Leo thinks that Iran should have a nuclear weapon, although he's clearly never said that.
And so, how Rubio responds to some of those questions and why he thinks that this can be smoothed over in any way will be interesting.
And then the other I think big policy bucket that he's going to be questioned about is this major trip that President Trump has scheduled for
next week to China. You know, this trip originally was supposed to be in early April. President Trump deferred it because the Iran war was raging.
The Iran war, despite a ceasefire in place, is still going on. And so, it's a trip that was originally meant to be about trade and tariffs and trying
to come up with some sort of grand trade agreement.
But obviously, Iran is now overshadowed that completely. And so, how Marco Rubio explains what the president's message will be in Beijing, how he
intends to broach the topic with Xi Jinping, I think, will be interesting to watch as well.
FOSTER: What's the plan, as far as you know, for the briefings whilst Levitt's away? Will there be a rotating cast of characters, or is it sort
of a, you know, you know, President Trump will see who does best?
LIPTAK: I think it's probably a combination of both. We understand it will be a rotation. Perhaps we'll see President Trump behind the podium himself.
Maybe the Vice President J.D. Vance. Obviously, we'll see the secretary of state today.
You know, Karoline Leavitt has suggested she won't be out for particularly long. Remember, she had her first child when she was acting as the press
secretary for President Trump's presidential campaign. And I think she was on television the day or two after she had delivered her baby. And so, the
suggestion is that she won't be absent from the West Wing for particularly long.
But while she is gone, you will see relatively high[level figures come and deliver remarks to the press and take questions as well. And I think it
could perhaps depend on what is in the news on that particular day, whether the White House wants to communicate about a particular policy.
I think the downside of that is no one, aside from Karoline Leavitt, can answer questions about all of these topics. You know, it's going to be
difficult. For example, to imagine Marco Rubio taking questions about the White House ballroom. That's something that's been in the news because
Congress has put up a proposal to provide funding for it, despite President Trump saying that it would be entirely privately funded.
And so, there are all kinds of questions that come up in these briefings. The whole role of the press secretary is to be able to field all of them,
whether it's foreign policy or domestic policy or politics. So, it will be interesting to see if Marco Rubio comes to the briefing today, if he's
going to answer every question that reporters have, or if he will stick to his remit of the diplomacy in the foreign policy.
FOSTER: Yeah, well, we'll find out very soon. Kevin, thank you so much for that.
Well, what we don't know is what would cause the U.S. ceasefire with Iran to be over. I'm sure it's one of the questions the secretary of state will
be asked.
Joining me now is CNN national security analyst David Sanger.
And it's very difficult, isn't it, David, for him to answer.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, the ceasefire right now is clearly under enormous stress. I wouldn't say that
it's completely broken down. But you saw that the chairman of the joint chiefs was doing all kinds of verbal gymnastics to say that the Iranians
had not crossed whatever mysterious red line there is that would lead to the U.S. to do a significant retaliation. In other words, reopening the
bombing of Iran.
But when pressed about where that red line is said, oh, that's a political decision above my pay grade, meaning it's completely up to the judgment of
President Trump. And he has no political leeway here now to start the bombing again. And he recognizes how unpopular this war is and how much
it's splintering his base.
FOSTER: And he can pretty much guarantee that Iran's going to do everything it can to stop any ships going through if he restarts the
bombing. And obviously, the economy is front of mind around the Strait of Hormuz.
SANGER: That's right. I mean, the economic effects are significant, but they've also gone on significantly longer. Remember the line that this
would only be a three to six-week war where were about to enter the ninth week or so of it, ninth or 10th week. And you're beginning to see the
effects snowball. And the president doesn't have an easy answer for this other than to say, when there's a peace, the prices will go right back
down.
When the Iranians hear that, what they hear is a president who is highly motivated to come to any kind of deal and call it the best deal ever.
FOSTER: In terms of Marco Rubio taking to this press conference, what do you think of the idea of the likes of him and others rotating through this
role while Leavitt's away?
SANGER: Oh, you know, I think for reporters like me, and I've covered five American presidents, it's always good when you get principals up on the --
on the podium because they're speaking for their departments. But in the case of Marco Rubio --
FOSTER: Okay.
SANGER: -- speaking for the departments and for the president, given the fact that he's --
(CROSSTALK)
FOSTER: I'll give you -- give you a chance to listen in. He's speaking now.
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: 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 of the Gulf and left for dead in the Persian Gulf by this Iranian regime. You know, 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.
And 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, on
several civilian ships already.
So frankly, the way to put it, these are innocent bystanders. These are countries that 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 a -- just as the
regime brutally slaughtered tens of thousands of their own citizens for the -- 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 publicly have asked the United States to help free their ships and to restore
freedom of navigation in the Straits of Hormuz. And 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 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 were the only ones who can. We -- 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 interests 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 were shot at first, okay?
We're not attacking them. We're not -- but if they're attacking us, 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 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 we'll 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 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 know many 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 want 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 in this -- international law in 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 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 go -- to hold the global economy hostage. So far as a proof of concept and as a proof of function,
two U.S. flag merchant ships have successfully transferred the Strait of Hormuz in the first stages of this project, and they're now safely on their
way. The U.S. 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 were fired on, we
will respond and we will respond with lethal efficiency. The assets supporting this project, by the way, 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, 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 percent and their currency is in total and complete freefall. U.S. sanctions enforcement is stepping up. It's moving
in lock step with the naval blockade to degrade Iran's capacity to generate, to move and repatriate revenue. It directly targets the regimes
primary revenue lifelines.
The blockade alone is costing Iran as much as $500 million a day in lost revenue, 90 percent of total Iranian trade has been halted, causing
permanent damage to Iran's oil infrastructure, as well as 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 that get to go through were 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 and 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 U.S. financial system.
As president Trump has said, and the facts clearly bear out, 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 time has 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 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.
[15:20:01]
The president, our president has proven time and again that his preference is peace. But Iran must accept the reality of the 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 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. 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 why don't we start with you, first.
REPORTER: 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?
RUBIO: Well, look, this is a long standing problem for them, right? I mean, they have wanted -- they have always said they don't want a nuclear
weapon, but 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 percent, that they -- 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 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 -- 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 in 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 they're willing to make at the front end in order to make those talks worthwhile.
That's what Steve and Jarrett 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. Yeah, in the back row.
REPORTER: Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.
RUBIO: I'll go to you next. All right. Go ahead.
REPORTER: Thank you. Secretary Rubio going right. Welcome to the White House.
RUBIO: What's that?
REPORTER: Are you talking to me, sir?
RUBIO: Yeah, to you. Yes, sir.
REPORTER: Thank you. I have two questions on two separate issues that --
RUBIO: Do they get two questions for these two questions. There's a lot of people in here.
REPORTER: All under your umbrellas.
RUBIO: All right. Well, you answer. You can ask me two questions. I'll give you one answer.
REPORTER: Thank you very much.
RUBIO: And I'll pick the one I like better.
REPORTER: 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?
RUBIO: 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 why do we have a blockade? We have a blockade because they shut down the straits. 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 streets. 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
percent 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.
Okay. 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 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.
[15:25:03]
You know what is an act of war? Putting mines in the water? Why don't the members of Congress, whoever it is, is complaining about it. They should be
all over that. These guys put mines in the water that you mining in the water is illegal, period, under any circumstances. And they've done it. But
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. Cuba used to get free oil from
Venezuela, used to give them a bunch of free oil. They would take like 60 percent 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 were 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 of 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
that I can't fix it is not just because they're communists. That's bad enough, but they're incompetent communists.
The only thing worse than a communist is an incompetent one. And that's what -- so an incompetent communist 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.
REPORTER: Secretary Rubio, Secretary Rubio.
RUBIO: Yeah.
REPORTER: 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 Pope Leo?
RUBIO: 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 of humanitarian aid, but obviously, they won't let us distribute it. We distribute it through
the church. We'd like to do more.
We're willing to give more humanitarian aid to Cuba, by the way, distributed 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 were willing to do it through the church. So there's a lot to talk about.
REPORTER: 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?
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 the 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 can not 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've 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.
(CROSSTALK)
RUBIO: I wish I knew your name. I apologize.
REPORTER: Thank you so much.
RUBIO: Can you put name tags on?
REPORTER: Thank you so much, Mr. Secretary.
RUBIO: Who are you with? Who are you?
REPORTER: I'm with media network.
RUBIO: Okay.
REPORTER: 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
U.S. 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?
RUBIO: 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 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, 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.
[15:30:01]
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.
REPORTER: 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.
REPORTER: 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.
REPORTER: 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?
REPORTER: What about Greenland? Did you have to go to Greenland?
[15:35:00]
RUBIO: No, they didn't have that map then in the red. Right there in the red.
REPORTER: 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?
REPORTER: 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.
REPORTER: (SPEAKING SPANISH)
RUBIO: (SPEAKING SPANISH)
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.
REPORTER: 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.
REPORTER: 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.
REPORTER: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.
RUBIO: Thank you. This is chaos, guys. Go ahead.
REPORTER: Welcome to the White House.
REPORTER: 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.
REPORTER: 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.
REPORTER: 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.
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