From the Liveblog of
Monday, November 9, 2026
Rubio: Trump’s war on Iran not ‘necessarily popular’ but needed to stop nuclear threat
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that US President Donald Trump launched the war against Iran even if it was not “necessarily popular” to safeguard the world from the country’s nuclear ambitions.
Asked about Vice President JD Vance’s social media post last week that largely blamed the war for the Republican losses in the midterm elections, Rubio tells reporters that Trump “identified a very real threat” in Iran and worked to stop the Islamic Republic from pursuing a nuclear weapon.
“He addressed it even though oftentimes the right thing to do for the country — confronting difficult challenges for the security of our country — doing it isn’t necessarily popular, but necessary,” Rubio says in Florida before heading to a Group of 7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris.
Rubio says that negotiations are not progressing and acknowledges that the US will take defensive actions if needed.
“If there’s a clear and present threat to shipping or to our forces in the region, we have a right to defend ourselves,” Rubio adds.
The Times of Israel Community.