Marco Rubio says US strikes on Iran were ‘last best chance’ to stop nuclear regime

WASHINGTON, DC: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has defended recent American strikes on Iran, calling them the “last best chance” to stop the country from becoming a nuclear threat.

Speaking in a video shared Tuesday, March 31, Rubio doubled down on the Trump administration’s long-standing position that Iran must never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

Rubio’s remarks come amid escalating tensions, with President Donald Trump also issuing a stark warning the same day. Trump said that if Tehran refuses to strike a deal, the US would push Iran “into the stone age,” effectively crippling its ability to advance any nuclear ambitions.

Rubio claims Iran was ‘on the verge’ of unstoppable weapons program

In his statement, Rubio stressed urgency, claiming Iran had reached a dangerous point in its nuclear development. According to him, the country was “on the verge” of building a weapons program that could soon become impossible to counter.

“Iran wants to have nuclear weapons. Of that there is no doubt,” Rubio said, dismissing any suggestion that Tehran’s nuclear efforts were for peaceful energy purposes.

He further argued that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure raises serious concerns. Rubio pointed out that facilities being built underground and “away from the public glare” do not align with a purely civilian energy program.

“If Iran did want nuclear energy, its nuclear facilities would not be hidden,” he said, adding that the country could have simply imported fuel if its intentions were genuine.

‘Every opportunity rejected,’ Rubio says of Iran’s nuclear negotiations

Rubio also claimed that Iran has repeatedly turned down chances to pursue nuclear energy in a transparent and non-military way. According to him, multiple offers had been made to allow Iran access to nuclear power without developing weapons, but those opportunities were refused.

“They have been offered every opportunity to have a nuclear program that allows them to have energy, not weapons, and every single time they have turned it down,” he said.

He also warned about what he described as Iran’s “conventional shield” - a growing arsenal of missiles and drones designed to deter attacks on its nuclear sites. Rubio suggested this buildup was part of a strategy to protect a weapons program.

Rubio warns against ‘apocalyptic vision’ of leadership

In one of his strongest remarks, Rubio questioned Iran’s leadership, saying the country is run by “radical Shia clerics with an apocalyptic vision of the future.”

“Under no circumstances can a country run by radical Shia clerics with an apocalyptic vision of the future ever possess nuclear weapons,” he said.

Rubio framed the US strikes as a necessary step to remove what he called an “intolerable risk.”

He added that President Trump made the “correct decision” in targeting Iran’s capabilities.

Rubio concluded by outlining the larger goal behind the strikes. By weakening Iran’s missile and drone systems, the US hopes to force Tehran back to the negotiating table under more serious terms.

Without these defensive capabilities, Rubio said, Iran would have no choice but to “deal with the world seriously about never ever having nuclear weapons.”

Trump expressed the same sentiment earlier in the day, indicating that diplomacy remains possible - but only if Iran agrees to abandon its nuclear ambitions entirely.