Trump is a peacemaker but will not allow a nuclear Iran, Rubio says

US President Donald Trump favors diplomacy over war but is determined to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview on Thursday.

“The president’s a peacemaker,” Rubio told independent journalist Catherine Herridge. “He’d prefer to avoid (war) and avoid those circumstances," adding that the United States under Trump “is not going to allow a nuclear Iran.”

Rubio did not discuss specific strategies but said that if Washington decided to act, “it could bring about the end of the Iranian regime,” in some of the most hawkish comments yet on Tehran from a senior member of the Trump administration.

Trump’s focus, Rubio said, remains on avoiding conflict.

As the world watches whether the US can achieve a deal with Moscow over the war in Ukraine, Rubio suggested the two countries may have a common interest in preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

“There are things we could cooperate on geopolitically,” he said. “I’m not sure the Russians are fans of the Iranian regime having nuclear weapons.”

His comments come as US and Russian officials held their first discussions this week in Saudi Arabia on ending the three-year conflict.

Iran, which has sought stronger ties with Russia and China under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s “Look East” policy, has faced economic strain due to US sanctions.

But Iranian media has warned that Moscow may not be a reliable partner and has raised concern that Russia could shift its stance.

Trump has criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for being too lenient on Iran and has reinstated the “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign from his first term.

While Trump has expressed reluctance to support an Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear program, he has also said he prefers a diplomatic agreement, a proposal that Khamenei has publicly rejected.

US intelligence reports cited by The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post indicate that Israel sees Iran as vulnerable after October 26 airstrikes, which reportedly US and Israeli leaders say crippled Iran’s air defenses.

Israel, the newspapers reported, perceives the US as more open to military action against Iran under Trump’s leadership.