Near East

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Completion of UN Sanctions Snapback on Iran hide Completion of UN Sanctions Snapback on Iran Press Statement September 27, 2025 This evening, at 8:00 p.m. EDT, the United Nations reimposed sanctions and other restrictions pursuant to six UN Security Council Resolutions – 1696, 1737, 1747, 1803, 1835, and 1929 – based on Iran’s continuing “significant non-performance” of its nuclear commitments. Their reactivation concludes the snapback process initiated on August 28, 2025, in an act of decisive global leadership on the part of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The provisions enumerated in the restored resolutions address the threats posed by Iran’s nuclear, ballistic missile, conventional arms, and destabilizing activities. Notably, they require Iran to suspend uranium enrichment-, heavy water-, and reprocessing-related activities; prohibit Iran from using ballistic missile technology; embargo the export of conventional arms to Iran; reimpose travel bans and global asset freezes on listed individuals and entities; and authorize the seizure of weapons and other prohibited cargo being transferred by Iran to state and non-state actors. The Security Council’s decision on September 19 – reaffirmed on September 26 – to restore these restrictions sends a clear message: the world will not acquiesce to threats and half measures – and Tehran will be held to account. President Trump has been clear that diplomacy is still an option—a deal remains the best outcome for the Iranian people and the world. For that to happen, Iran must accept direct talks, held in good faith, without stalling or obfuscation. Absent such a deal, it is incumbent on partners to implement snapback sanctions immediately in order to pressure Iran’s leaders to do what is right for their nation, and best for the safety of the world. Tags Arms Control and Nonproliferation Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Division for Counter Threat Finance and Sanctions Iran Office of the Spokesperson Sanctions and Designations The Secretary of State United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline hide The Reopening of the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline Press Statement September 25, 2025 We welcome the announcement that the Government of Iraq has reached agreement with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and international companies to reopen the Iraq-Türkiye pipeline, a deal facilitated by the United States that will bring tangible benefits for both Americans and Iraqis. We commend the decisive efforts of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani and senior officials of the Government of Iraq, as well as KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and senior KRG officials, to make this progress possible. This agreement will strengthen the mutually beneficial economic partnership between the United States and Iraq, encourage a more stable investment environment throughout Iraq for U.S. companies, enhance regional energy security, and reinforce Iraq’s sovereignty. Tags Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Economy and Trade Policy Iraq Office of the Spokesperson The Secretary of State Turkey

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State New York City, New York Lotte Palace Hotel HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, and GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi at a Meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council Member States hide Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, and GCC Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi at a Meeting with the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council Member States Remarks September 24, 2025 SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you.  I want to welcome everybody here.  I want to – this is an exciting opportunity to continue to build on this very important strategic partnership.  I know the President very much enjoyed the opportunity to have his conversations with the heads of state in Riyadh back in May – in May, right?  So that was a great visit and a great opportunity to do that. We’re very committed to this partnership as a whole and with each of the countries that are represented here today, committed to working together to address no shortage of regional and global challenges; but also not just challenges, but also to together work on the opportunities.  Sometimes the challenges get in the way of also pursuing the opportunities.  We want to be able to do both. I know that the past few months have been filled – the past few weeks and the past few days have been filled with some very substantiable challenges, and so our conversations here are perhaps as critical as they have ever been.  Each and every one of you is a trusted partner, an important partner to the United States, and we want to work together and continue to work together to achieve our collective vision articulated repeatedly by the President, including in his first term as President of the United States, to together achieve a level of peace and of prosperity unrivaled and unprecedented in the past.  I want to say upfront that I understand – we understand – very clearly that the situation in Gaza, the situation with Israel in Gaza, is a key concern for everyone in this room here today. We want this conflict to end.  We want it to end immediately.  The President stated that yesterday.  We want it to end with every single hostage being released, both living and deceased.  We want it to end in a Gaza that is free of terrorism, that is free of extremism, that does not pose a threat to Israel or any other part of the region, and where the people, the Palestinian people and the people of Gaza, have an opportunity to live in the peace and in the prosperity that we all want – not just for the region but for our own countries and for the world.  And to that end, I know that some important work is ongoing in that regard, and I want everyone to know that.  Many of you are aware of that individually that we are – some very important work is ongoing, even as we speak, and hoping to achieve this as soon as possible.  There are also some unique opportunities, exciting opportunities, that I know we’re working on together.  One of them is the future of Syria, an opportunity that maybe two years ago or a year, a year and a half ago, would have been unimaginable.  And the President remains committed not just from a unilateral standpoint of the United States, but in partnership with every country represented here today, to give Syria every chance possible to build a strong, unified state that – where the diversity of Syria is respected, but also a place that’s stable, that’s no longer a base of operation for extremists, that is no longer a base of operation for foreign actors that use it to launch attacks and destabilizing activity against their neighbors.  In so many ways, the stability of Syria defines the stability of the region.  We have potentially what could be a very historic opportunity to do something that, as I said, could not have been imagined just a couple of years ago.  I know each member-state here has been very involved in that regard.  The President took a very bold action in May that we continue to follow up on and work on, and we’ve been very committed to that very important project, that very important opportunity.  Likewise in Lebanon, an opportunity that’s also historic exists, and the United States remains very committed in that regard as well to ensuring that there is a strong Lebanese state, respectful of the diversity of that country, free of the influence of Iran and Hizballah and others who might undermine that stability, and does so in a way where the state there can exert its sovereignty and can emerge from a longstanding economic crisis. I think it’s important to state that we have to remain clear-eyed by what we, at least the United States, strongly views as the destabilizing activities of the regime in Iran.  Let me say at the outset the United States, our people here, have tremendous admiration for the people of Iran.  This is an ancient culture.  This is a culture with a storied history, and it’s one that we have much to share in common with.  Unfortunately, it is led by leaders that we think have been more interested in exporting revolution and exporting destabilization than they have in building the prosperity of their own people.  And as the President stated in his speech yesterday, we cannot allow the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism to ever possess weapons of mass destruction like a nuclear weapon. So the good news is that that regime faces challenges today that are significant compared to just a few years ago, which perhaps provides the opportunity to do some of the things we want to do in the region, including in Syria, where they were a very destabilizing presence in support of Assad. So we have much to discuss here.  This is an important forum, one we are 100 percent committed to, the President is personally committed to, both at the bilateral level with every nation represented here, but also through this format and this forum, which has proved to be extraordinarily valuable in our interaction with each of you. With that, I believe I am turning to – we’re starting with the – okay, so we’ll start – yes, sir.  Thank you.  Thank you again.  You’re the chair, so — FOREIGN MINISTER AL-YAHYA:  (Via interpreter) Thank you (inaudible).  Mr. Secretary, I will deliver my statement in Arabic. (Via interpreter) Your Excellency Secretary (inaudible), Secretary of State, (inaudible), Excellencies, distinguished guests, Honorable Secretary General of GCC, honorable guests:  Salam Alaikum, peace upon you.  We meet here at a time the world is witnessing challenges and conflicts that require cooperation and partnership (inaudible) that enables our common (inaudible) cooperation, and in a way that enables that cooperation.  In this framework, the GCC countries would like to affirm the crucial role of the U.S. in supporting the security and stability of the Gulf region and the Middle East region as a pillar of an effective strategic relationship, and to reinforce regional and international security.  We reiterate our condemnation of the Israeli attack on our neighborly Qatar, and this is a violation of international law which represents a threat to the stability and security of the region, and we reiterate our utmost support of Qatar in its efforts to boost its security, to protect its people and its – and anybody staying on its land. We would like to affirm that the Palestinian problem remains in the forefront of our policy, and our ultimate goal is to reach a comprehensive peace, and in this remark we demand increased efforts to find a two-state solution in line with international law and to lift all obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.  As for Iraq, we highly value the efforts of the U.S. to reinforce the UN role in this regard, and we assert the importance of solving all problems with the state of Kuwait.  We also highly value the role of the U.S. in the meetings, and we hope that the U.S.-Russian efforts would lead to a solution to the problem in Ukraine, and we would like to use constructive dialogue as a basis for resolving all conflicts. In conclusion, I would like to reiterate the importance of reinforcing our common efforts and collective work so that we can confront existing challenges and to achieve peace and security and comprehensive development in our region.  And we hope that our discussion will also identify priorities for our future work in a way that would force – push for more integration. Thank you very much. SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you very much.  To the General Secretary. GENERAL SECRETARY AL-BUDAIWI:  I will also be speaking in Arabic. (Via interpreter) Your Highness, Excellencies:  peace be upon you.  I am delighted to address you at this ministerial meeting between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the United States of America.  I express my sincere thanks and appreciation to His Excellency Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States, for the warm reception and generous hospitality, and to all participants for their steadfast commitment to strengthening the strategic partnership that spans decades of close cooperation. Your Highness, Excellencies, distinguished guests:  In recent days our region has witnessed a highly sensitive event that endangered its security as Israel carried out a flagrant attack against the state of Qatar, an egregious violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.  This attack targeted residential facilities housing members of the Hamas political bureau delegation engaged in ongoing negotiations, in mediation efforts led by the state of Qatar, to reach an agreement on Gaza. This assault resulted in the martyrdom of a security officer, civilian casualties, and endangered the lives of residents in a densely populated neighborhood surrounded by schools, diplomatic missions, and kindergartens.  The council, while reaffirming its full solidarity with the state of Qatar and stressing that security of a GCC state is indivisible and that any attack on one is an attack on all, strongly condemns this Israeli aggression. Your Highness, Excellencies:  The humanitarian tragedy in the Gaza Strip, the continuous aggression against the Palestinian people, the crime of genocide perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces and the deliberate blockade that has caused famine in the Strip are developments that will inevitably have grave repercussions threatening the regional and international peace and security.  We stress the urgent necessity of reaching a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, securing the release of hostages and detainees, facilitating the unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance, and working towards a just and comprehensive settlement that leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international resolutions. In this context, we affirm – reaffirm the importance of respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity; rejecting foreign interference in its internal affairs; and recognizing that Syria’s security and stability are fundamental pillars of regional stability.  We condemn the repeated Israeli attacks on Syrian territory and stress the necessity of adhering to the 1974 disengagement agreement. On the Lebanese front, we reaffirm GCC’s steadfast position to support Lebanon, its sovereignty, security, and stability, and underline the importance of implementing political and economic reform to achieve the aspirations of its people – stability, prosperity, and development.  We also stress the importance of safeguarding maritime security and waterways in the region, and of countering activities that threaten regional and international peace and stability, including attacks on commercial vessel threats to maritime navigation and international trade.  Your Highness and Excellencies:  Our meeting today comes within the framework of a longstanding strategic partnership built on deep-rooted historical foundations that have grown and developed over past decades, aiming to foster security, stability, and prosperity at both the regional and international levels.  This direction has been embodied in five joint summits, the latest of which was the Riyadh summit in 2025 with His Excellency President Trump, which witnessed the signing of trade and investment agreements exceeding 2 trillion U.S. dollars.  In addition to these summits, foreign ministers have held regular meetings since 2012 within the framework of the Strategic Cooperation Forum.  These meetings resulted in the establishment of 10 joint working groups in fields including air and missile defense, maritime security, counterterrorism, cybersecurity, special forces; economic, trade, and investment cooperation.  These meetings have resulted in practical projects to enhance defense and security capacities, protect maritime routes, and counter regional threats. On the economic front, trade exchange between the two sides exceeded 120 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, supported by massive Gulf investments in U.S. economy, amounting trillions of dollars, alongside a growing presence of U.S. capital in the technology, energy, and infrastructure sectors of the GCC states.  This relationship has also extended to education and cultural exchange with tens of thousands of Gulf students currently studying in U.S. universities and hundreds of thousands having graduated over the past six decades from the various U.S. universities.  We hope that the flow of Gulf students to these academic institutions will continue without facing any consular or procedural obstacles, especially since this cultural and academic exchange has had a tangible impact in strengthening economic and strategic cooperation and building cultural bridges between our peoples.  On the diplomatic level, the GCC looks forward to opening diplomatic mission in Washington, D.C.  We express our hope that His Excellency Secretary Rubio will encourage the relevant U.S. authorities to expedite the completion of all procedures that would provide the necessary privileges and immunities toward this Gulf diplomatic mission.  In conclusion, I reaffirm that our partnership with the United States is a strategic necessity that ensures security, stability, and prosperity for all.  I am confident that our meeting today will mark an important milestone in advancing this historic path.  Thank you. SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you. Tags Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Conflicts, Wars, and Civil Unrest Israel Kuwait Middle East Office of the Spokesperson Official Domestic Travel Palestinian Territories The Secretary of State Syria UNGA80

Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Chair Statement on Libya Senior Officials Meeting hide Chair Statement on Libya Senior Officials Meeting Media Note September 23, 2025 The text of the following chair statement was released by the Government of the United States of America on the occasion of the 2025 UNGA Libya Senior Officials Meeting.   Begin text:  1.  The United States (the chair) convened senior officials representing Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week to discuss building economic foundations for unity and security in Libya.  2.  The chair reaffirmed the strong commitment of the international community to support Libya’s progress on a path to greater unity, security, stability, and prosperity.    3.  The chair welcomed the briefing by SRSG Hanna Tetteh and expressed thanks for her excellent work to help advance the Libyan political process.  She updated participants on efforts to advance UNSMIL’s political roadmap and to facilitate meaningful dialogue among a broad range of Libyan parties.  4.  The chair highlighted the importance of Libyan east-west security integration to facilitate increased Libyan contribution to regional stability and security.  The chair commended participants’ support for modifying the UN arms embargo in 2025, which enabled initial steps, including joint training and technical assistance, to advance east-west security integration.  Participants reflected on how to build on these gains to further enhance Libya’s ability to provide for its own security.    5.  The chair underscored that strong economic foundations are paramount to creating a safer, stronger, and more prosperous Libya.  The chair expressed the need for participants to work collectively to bolster key independent, technocratic institutions such as the National Oil Corporation, the Central Bank of Libya, and Audit Bureau to enable these institutions to support economic stability in Libya and promote a stable business environment.  Participants agreed that coordinated international efforts to support economic stability, create opportunities for investment, and safeguard the country’s resources would serve as a driver for greater unity and prosperity.  6.  The chair welcomed participants’ support of the UNSMIL political roadmap and of the SRSG’s efforts to build consensus among Libyan actors, affirming that unification of political institutions is critical to promote prosperity for all Libyans, as well as for Libya to defend its sovereignty, protect its borders, and prevent the use of its territory for the spread of threats like illegal migration and weapons trafficking.  Participants discussed their countries’ perspectives and approaches and discussed interim steps to which all participants could contribute to set Libya on a more stable and united path.  End text.  Tags Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Libya Office of the Spokesperson UNGA80

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State New York City, New York Lotte Palace Hotel HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Ainsley Erhardt, Brian Kilmeade, and Lawrence Jones of Fox and Friends hide Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Ainsley Erhardt, Brian Kilmeade, and Lawrence Jones of Fox and Friends Interview September 23, 2025 QUESTION:  Let’s bring in the Secretary of State Marco Rubio.  Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for joining Fox and Friends this morning. QUESTION:  Thank you. SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you.  Good morning. QUESTION:  So Mr. Secretary, we were hoping that you can give us a preview.  Apparently, the President wants his famous message of peace through strength today at the UN.  What do you anticipate him saying? SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, I think one of the things the President is going to have to address, and is going to address, is the UN itself, and that is:  Why do we still have a UN?  It has tremendous potential.  The UN is an organization that has the potential to do some great things around the world, but it’s not doing it.  If you look at Russia and Ukraine, you have a war going on there.  It’s the President that’s been carrying the burden of trying to bring it to an end.  The UN is playing no role.  If you look at what’s happening in Gaza with Hamas and everything that’s happened there with Israel taking them on, what role is the UN playing?  None.  We’re going to try here in the – even close to home in the Western Hemisphere, in a place like Haiti that’s been overrun by gangs that control that country and has destabilized the region, the U.S. is asking for the UN to step up and play a very important role.  We have a lot of support, but it looks like China might stand in the way of this effort to bring that about.  The UN will play no role if they do that.  So I think what the President is going to do is challenge the UN to find its meaning and its purpose and its utility as an organization, because it doesn’t seem to be doing the job and it’s pretty good at spending a lot of money.  I think the – you can anticipate the President will point to his own history with the UN going back to his time here as a developer, where he actually offered to fix the UN building, and instead they chose to go in another direction, wasted a bunch of money, and really didn’t achieve on the building’s perspective what needed to happen.  And I think it’s emblematic of how feckless the UN has become as an organization; it’s just a place where once a year a bunch of people meet and give speeches and write out a bunch of letters and statements, but not a lot of good, important action is happening. So again, the UN has a lot of potential but it’s not living up to it right now. QUESTION:  So the Turkish leader Erdogan sat down with Bret Baier yesterday.  We got two topics to talk to you about that, one of which was asked about the war in Russia.  He’s basically – he’s indifferent, he likes both guys.  And in Gaza.  But he seems to take a shot at President Trump.  Listen: PRESIDENT ERDOGAN:  (Via interpreter) I can only say this:  Mr. Trump, you might remember, he used a term when he said I will finish the Russia-Ukraine war.  Did it end?  It still goes on.  Similarly, he said I will finish the war in Gaza.  Did it end?  No.  That means once we start analyzing the issue, there are prices to pay.  And when we look at the hostage exchange, that was done.  It goes on. QUESTION:  So he says the President doesn’t get it done.  This is a NATO Ally.  Your thoughts. SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, look, I didn’t hear the entirety of the interview.  I can only tell you that on both of those issues – on the case of Russia-Ukraine, the only leader in the world that has any chance of bringing it to an end is President Trump, and which is why he has put more time and energy into it than anybody else.  All of these other countries, including Türkiye by the way, are begging us to be involved.  They want us to be involved.  Look, these people go out and say what they want to say, but at the end of the day when they want something done, they come – they want to come to the White House.  President Erdogan is coming to the White House this week to meet with the President.  They all come to the White House, they all want to speak to President Trump, they all want President Trump to fix it.  So they can say whatever they want to say.  The truth of the matter is that we have leaders – we have meetings going on today that we have leaders begging to be a part of it.  They are calling and saying:  Can we be included?  Can you bring us in?  Can you get me five minutes to shake the President’s hand?  He is the indispensable leader in the world right now.  He is the only one who has any chance of not just brokering a deal to end the war with Russia and Ukraine, but also bringing about the war that’s going – and getting all the hostages released in Gaza.  And I think he has put more time and energy into peace proposals and peace initiatives than anybody else in the world, and he’s had the most success of anybody else in the world.  He doesn’t get a lot of credit, but let’s not forget the DRC and Rwanda had a war going on; it’s the President that’s brokered that.  Azerbaijan and Armenia – it’s the President that brought that about.  Thailand and Cambodia – it’s the President that brought the end to that about.  India and Pakistan.  That’s just four right off the top of my head in the last few months.  And the President is the one that did that, not any other leader in the world and not the UN. QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, Fox is exclusively reporting that Hamas wrote a letter directly to President Trump asking for a pause in fighting for 60 days in exchange for half of the hostages.  Do you know if this letter has been delivered yet, and will the President entertain this idea? SECRETARY RUBIO:  I don’t know who they gave that letter to.  It wouldn’t have mattered, though, because the President has been clear, and that is that we haven’t seen the letter, we don’t have that letter, and even if we did, it wouldn’t matter.  The President has already made clear he’s not interested in 60 days, 10 people.  He wants all the hostages out, all 48, including the 20 who are alive, the 28 who are deceased.  He wants them all out.  There should have never been any – why are we even talking about hostages?  Why do we still have to talk about hostages at this point?  There shouldn’t be any.  They should all be released immediately, period.  That’s the President’s position, and so he would have rejected that offer had it come, but we haven’t seen that letter.  I think they gave it to the media or somebody, but they haven’t given it to us. QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, the President sent a final warning to Hamas.  What does that mean? SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, I mean, you’ve got Israel is right at the doorstep of Gaza City.  I mean, they’ve begun an operation to go in.  And all of the leaders of Hamas, all of the main leaders inside of Gaza and Hamas, are all concentrated in Gaza City.  It may take a while, but they’re not going to survive the Israeli push.  Now, what we would hope to see is that it doesn’t have to happen because Hamas surrenders, they lay down their arms, they release all the hostages, and then the important work of sort of rebuilding Gaza and providing a place where Palestinians can live prosperously and peacefully – that work can begin.  But that work can’t begin until the hostages are released and Hamas no longer exists.  And so the sooner that happens, the sooner peace will begin. QUESTION:  I want to make sure to get this in because I know your time is tight.  You were brilliant, as in so many speakers, saluting the life of Charlie Kirk.  Here’s a little of the moments a lot of people are talking about.  Watch: SECRETARY RUBIO:  Because he took on that death, because he carried that cross, we were freed from the sin that separated us from him.  And when he returns, there will be a new heaven and a new Earth, and we will all be together, and we are going to have a great reunion there again with Charlie and all the people we love. QUESTION:  It looks like that was coming from the heart, not the prompter.  Can you bring us back to that moment? SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, look, Charlie – I think what makes this situation so unique is that Charlie Kirk wasn’t just a figure involved in American politics and political discourse.  Charlie was a friend to a lot of people in the White House and a lot of people in this administration, like on a personal level.  He is someone that I had just been interacting with just a few days before he died, because he had just – he was in South Korea and was eager to come back home and tell me what he had seen while he was there.  And a lot of other people – the Vice President was very close to him personally.  A lot of members of the staff.  It’s just – so I think it adds a new element to this. Obviously, this is a major story, a horrific tragedy before everyone in the age of social media.  Everyone saw it instantly.  And so I think it impacted people across the country.  But I think it had a particularly special impact, in addition to all of that, because of the personal connection here.  And I thought that on Sunday was a very unique opportunity for many of us not just to pay tribute to the life that Charlie Kirk lived, but the way he lived it and the core of his message.  And his faith was at the core of his message.  I think Charlie, if he was here with us, would here – to say that politics is important, what we do in government is important, these debates on issues are important, but the most important thing of all is our faith and our family.  And that – and Charlie lived that, and he believed it, and it was at the core of his message.  He had an extraordinary amount of wisdom for a 31-year-old young man.  He really did.  I mean, it usually takes a lifetime to acquire the kind of wisdom that he had. QUESTION:  Mm-hmm.  And the President did a beautiful job speaking there, and so did his wife.  The President – what is his reaction?  What’s the administration’s reaction about our allies?  We have France, we have the UK, we have Australia and Canada recognizing the Palestinian state.  What does that say about our influence? SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, these countries are doing it, frankly, because of domestic political pressure in their own countries, because of migration policies or countries have been flooded with foreigners who have become politically active and are insisting that their governments do these sorts of things.  And so that’s what they’re responding to.  But look, it’s irrelevant.  It’s going to get a little bit of attention, but there is no Palestinian state.  You can put all the – it’s kind of emblematic of what the President says about the UN.  You can put out all the paper in the world you want.  The only way there’s ever going to be a permanent solution to this challenge between Palestinians and Israelis is a negotiated settlement, one in which the Palestinians are going to have a territory and they’re going to govern it, but it cannot be one that’s going to be used as a launchpad for attacks against Israel.  And that’s something that has to be negotiated with Israel.  It isn’t going to exist without Israel’s participation.  That’s what these leaders should have spent their time working on: ending this war, eliminating Hamas, so you can get to that stage of talks about that topic.  But for them, and for some of them in particular more than others, it’s sort of a vanity project that’s trying to make themselves relevant.  But here’s the bottom line and here’s the truth, okay?  When it comes to actually getting peace done, when it comes to actually stopping this, they’re not going to any of these other countries.  QUESTION:  Of course. SECRETARY RUBIO:  They’re coming to us.  They’re going to President Trump and they’re asking him to get involved and bring it to an end.  You just asked me about a letter to – from Hamas.  Hamas didn’t send a letter to France.  Hamas didn’t send a letter to any of these countries on your list.  Hamas apparently, supposedly, sent the letter to President Trump.  Because everyone knows – even an evil group like Hamas – that he is the only one with the power and the influence to make something happen. QUESTION:  It’s such a good point.  And I don’t want to put you in a bad position, but do any of these countries ever tell you why they’re not willing to accept any of the refugees that’s coming from Gaza, from the Palestinian Authority?  Because we hear publish (inaudible) sometime — SECRETARY RUBIO:  Sure they tell me. QUESTION:  What do they say? SECRETARY RUBIO:  They say:  Well, we can’t take any more people, we already have too many.  They say, frankly, what any country should say, which is – in fact, I think if they – they won’t say it publicly.  QUESTION:  Right. SECRETARY RUBIO:  But they’ll say it privately.  And not just these countries in Europe.  I mean, the countries in the Middle East.  QUESTION:  Egypt. SECRETARY RUBIO:  Look, it’s not like every country in the Middle East is raising their hand and saying:  Okay, we’ll take 100,000 refugees.  It goes back to the migratory debates we’ve had in this own country.  I mean, every country in the world thinks open borders is crazy.  Egypt does not have open borders; Jordan does not have open borders; Europe does, or has had for a long time.  But none of these countries in the – most countries in the world do not have open borders because it’s crazy.  It’s lunacy.  And only we had that under President Biden, and now that’s been fixed.  And I think the President will point to that in his speech today.  America had a migratory crisis unlike any in the world, and we fixed it very quickly under President Trump.  QUESTION:  All right.  Real quick, Mr. Secretary.  What are you going to do about the Russian breaches into NATO territories?  They need a muscular response.  I haven’t seen any.  SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, NATO is responding the way it should.  If a drone comes in over your airspace, you shoot it down.  That happened.  We’ve seen flights – and this is not new, by the way.  This has happened – maybe not at the frequency we’ve seen, but a Russian jet or a Russian bomber goes into your defense zone.  You send your planes up there to intercept it.  That’s been happening.  We’ve had to do that off the coast of Alaska repeatedly in many cases. So NATO is going to respond.  Yesterday at the United Nations, his first day on the job, Mike Waltz, our new ambassador here, spoke at the Security Council.  He made clear our position, which is that when it comes to NATO, we’re going to defend every inch of it.  It’s an important Alliance.  We had the best NATO summit maybe in history just a few months ago in which, with President Trump there, all these countries made their 5 percent pledge except for one, Spain, who doesn’t want to do it.  But – and you know what?  At the end of the day, that – so that issue is what it is. On the Russia-Ukraine war, look, no one has worked harder or done more to bring this to an end, and it appears Putin may not be serious about peace.  The President has expressed his deep disappointment about it, and he knows what his options are at some point here to have to impose additional costs, but he’s also said that before we do that, Europe needs to do it.  They’re demanding all these things of us, and yet you have countries in Europe still buying massive amounts of oil and natural gas from Russia and funding and fueling the Russian aggression campaign.  So I think it’s important for them to step up.  QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, thank you so much.  QUESTION:  Thank you, sir. QUESTION:  All right, get stuff done.  Thanks, Mr. Secretary. SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you. Tags Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Haiti Israel Media Engagement Office of the Spokesperson Official Domestic Travel Palestinian Territories Russia Russia-Ukraine War The Secretary of State Situation in the Middle East Ukraine UNGA80 United Nations (UN)

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State New York City, New York Lotte Palace Hotel HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Tony Dokoupil of CBS Mornings hide Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Tony Dokoupil of CBS Mornings Interview September 23, 2025 QUESTION:  For more on that and other questions, we’re joined now by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who will be with the President today.  Mr. Secretary, thank you very much for joining us.  Let’s begin with the news — SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you.  QUESTION:  — around recognition of a Palestinian state.  A number of U.S. allies have taken that step.  I know you think the timing right now is reckless.  Could you explain to those foreign ministers and also to the American public why you see it that way? SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, look, I think at the end day, it’s largely irrelevant what they’ve decided.  There is no Palestinian state no matter how many papers they put out, and the only time there’ll ever be one is if there is a negotiation with Israel, which right now is impossible because they have a war going on with Hamas, a terrorist group that butchered over 2,000 people on October 7th, two – just almost two years ago.  And so as long as that’s going on, the whole thing is irrelevant.  It’s almost a vanity project for a couple of these world leaders who want to be relevant, but it really makes no difference.  Now, I will say it actually – the impact it has had is it actually derailed – it made – talks that were going on, it made it even harder to get Hamas to enter into concessions that might have brought – brought this to an end.  And look, we think there’s a window of opportunity right now to pursue it.  The only leader in the world really that can sort of broker that or bring that together is President Trump.  That’s why every country in the region – and frankly every country in the world, including many of those involved in this recognition effort – are begging the President to get involved in this issue.  We’ll have a very important meeting today with majority-Muslim countries, including the Gulf kingdoms and others in different parts of the world, in the hopes of perhaps taking one last shot here at ending the conflict in Gaza, getting all of the hostages – all of them – released —  QUESTION:  Yeah.  SECRETARY RUBIO:  — and putting together in place something where humanitarian relief can be provided to people safely without rewarding a terrorist group like Hamas.  QUESTION:  Yeah, people don’t want to reward Hamas.  They want the hostages back.  They want humanitarian relief.  When you talk about it, the President getting involved in it, I imagine that means peace and stability for the region and for Israel and for the Palestinians.  Does that mean the U.S. is still a backer of a two-state solution?  You see a path for that? SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, listen, the future of the Palestinian people living alongside the Jewish people in Israel is something that everyone knows is going to have to be negotiated.  That has to be part of a much broader, more complex negotiation.  From the Israeli standpoint, not only do you have to – if there’s going to be a state, you need to know, well, who’s the government of that state.  Is the government of that state someone who’s paying terrorists for carrying out attacks?  Is that government someone that’s allowing rockets to be fired against Israel?  Because Israel’s point is every time they’ve turned over land, it’s been used as a launch point against Israel.  That’s how we get to October 7th.  I mean, that – Gaza was being governed by Hamas, and Hamas used it not as a country.  They used – not as a place for people to live in building a society.  They used it as a launch pad for one of the most brutal, horrific attacks — QUESTION:  Yeah.  SECRETARY RUBIO:  — we have ever seen, in which people were raped, murdered, butchered, taken hostage.  So we can never have that happen again.  You’re never going to have peace in that region as long as groups like Hamas exist.  QUESTION:  Yeah, no, I understand.  The Israelis want security, the Palestinians want dignity, and there’s got to be a path forward.  But let’s move on to the other subject top of mind today, and that’s Ukraine and Russia.  In the last two weeks, you’ve had drones or jets from Russia fly into Polish airspace, then into Estonia, and now our European allies and NATO are saying: if that happens again, we’re going to shoot these things down.  If that happens, is the U.S. prepared to participate in shooting down Russian jets?  SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, I don’t think anyone said about shooting down Russian jets unless they’re attacking.  I think what you have seen is NATO responding to those intrusions the way we respond to them all the time, and that is when they enter your airspace or your – your defense zone, you go up and you intercept them.  And that’s what NATO has done, and that’s what NATO will continue to do.  The United States is a partner in NATO, a member of NATO, an important member – the most important member of NATO.  And I think yesterday at the United Nations, our new ambassador here, Mike Waltz, made very clear we will – we will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territory.  That commitment remains firm.  QUESTION:  Got it.  SECRETARY RUBIO:  On the broader issue of the war, we think it should end; we want it to end.  We want to do everything possible for it to end.  Thousands of people are dying.  It’s a stupid, ridiculous war.  It needs to come to an end, and the President is committed to doing whatever he can to end it.  And if we can’t get to that point where Putin is prepared to end it, then the President has very strong options available to him to impose costs.  We hope to avoid that.  QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary — SECRETARY RUBIO:  We want this to end.  But obviously his patient  is not indefinite. QUESTION:  Understood.  I want to tuck in two more topics.  You mentioned intercepting rather than shooting down the Russian jets.  It brings up, in my mind, the question of what to do with these drug boats, alleged drug boats, coming from Venezuela.  Very worthy goal, stopping the illegal flow of drugs into the U.S.  I think the question a lot of people have, as the U.S. has – has exploded three boats now in international waters:  Why not just stop them and board them to stop the flow of drugs?  SECRETARY RUBIO:  Because interdiction doesn’t work.  You want to stop these drug cartels, you have to make clear to them they’re not going to get their boats here.  Interdiction – they don’t care about losing a boat.  They don’t care about losing some drugs.  They’ve already factored that into their business model.  What will stop them completely is that they know if they go out there, they’re not going to make the journey.  Look, this is an imminent, immediate threat to the United States.  If you tell me there’s a boat full of drugs headed towards the United States to drop off drugs here and poison our people, that’s as big a threat as if some country was coming in to attack an American city.  It needs to be stopped.  The way it’s been handled in the past hasn’t worked.  And boy, let me tell you something – you’re not seeing nearly as many boats right now as you were a couple weeks ago.  So it has worked and will continue to work.  And the President’s very simple – he not going to continue to allow these drug cartels to flood America with poisonous drugs that are killing our people indefinitely.  QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, as I hear you speak your mind, I ask you questions freely, it reminds me that all around the world, if you ask people what America represents, freedom is what comes to mind, freedom of speech in particular.  We’re at this moment with the issues around late-night television and what comedians are saying, where people on the left think the White House is cracking down on free speech, rescinding the First Amendment, and then you’ve got people on the right saying that that’s just not the case.  Can you level set for us:  What is this administration’s view of the First Amendment and its boundaries? SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah – and look, I’m focused on foreign policy.  That’s my job as Secretary of State.  There’s been a long tradition in this role that you don’t get involved in domestic political debates.  I always have opinions; we all have opinions.  I think the administration – I stand by whatever the administration has said on this and continues to say through our spokesperson, through the other relevant actors that are involved in these decisions.  But there’s been a long tradition in the office of Secretary of State that you — QUESTION:  But Mr. Secretary — SECRETARY RUBIO:  — focus solely on international issues, not domestic.  And that’s – again, if I wasn’t in this role, I’d give you my opinion.  I think people probably know what it is, but my job is to focus on international relations and foreign policy, and that’s what previous secretary of states have done.  QUESTION:  All right.  Mr. Secretary – and I would just say that I think a lot of people see how we treat free expression in this country as related to our reputation around the world, and therefore does touch your purview, but I do hear you.  SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah, well, let me tell you something.  I think people on your station, other stations, they say nice things about us, they say terrible things about us every single day.  In no country in the world do people express themselves more freely.  Some people say people express themselves too much.  Everyone has an opinion, and you hear about it within milliseconds because of social media, and that’s fine.  That’s who we are.  No one’s going to jail America this morning because of an X post or an Instagram post.  There are countries around the world, including some of our allies, where people are being arrested for speaking their mind or saying something people don’t like.  So I think – I’m not sure we should – we’re in any position to be lectured by anyone around the world on free speech.  QUESTION:  Well, that is true.  I appreciate your time this morning.  Secretary of State Marco Rubio, thank you very much. SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thank you. ____________________________  patience secretaries of state Tags Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Drugs and Drug Trafficking Freedom of Speech and Expression Israel Media Engagement Office of the Spokesperson Official Domestic Travel Palestinian Territories Russia Russia-Ukraine War The Secretary of State Situation in the Middle East Ukraine UNGA80 Venezuela

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State New York City, New York Lotte Palace Hotel HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Craig Melvin of NBC Today hide Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Craig Melvin of NBC Today Interview September 23, 2025 QUESTION: Joining us now to talk about the administration’s agenda at the United Nations this morning, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mr. Secretary, welcome back. Thank you so much for your time this morning. SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you. Thank you. QUESTION: As President Trump has said, he aims to finish this war soon. Mr. Secretary, what does victory look like? Is it the total eradication of Hamas, or do you still see a pathway to a political compromise there? SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, first of all, the goal is not to end the war. The goal is to have peace. And obviously, you can’t have peace as long as Hamas exists. This is a group dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state. They’ve said it and repeatedly said that. And so – and that’s what they’ve demonstrated throughout their existence. So it’s not about eradicating Hamas as much as it is about peace. You can’t have peace as long as Hamas exists. By the way, I think as an elemental step of that is the hostages need to be released. There are 20 living hostages; they should all be released. The bodies of the deceased should also be released. There should never have been any hostages. So I think that has to happen. And then what you hope to have, if there is no more Hamas, then I think the people of Gaza have a chance, with the help of many countries around the world – including the United States would participate in that – to rebuild it into a place where people can live again, never have to live again under the governance of an evil group like Hamas, and have a better future. I think that’s what we’d all hope to see accomplished. And we have a very narrow window of time now to hope to achieve that before this escalates further. QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, as you know, France, Canada, the UK – about 145 other nations – now recognize the Palestinian state. Are you at all concerned that the United States of America is becoming more isolated on that particular issue? SECRETARY RUBIO: No, I’m not concerned at all. None of the countries you just mentioned really will play much of a role in bringing about the end of this conflict in Gaza. QUESTION: Is that about — SECRETARY RUBIO: That’s why we continued to be engaged. Everybody continues to come to us to make a difference. I do think it serves as a – I mean, the only relevance of the decision they have made, because it really is them responding to their own domestic politics, protesters in their streets and things like that. But it also is a reward for Hamas. It really is. It makes Hamas feel like they carried out this massacre on October 7th and now they get this in return. But it really won’t be relevant at the end of the day. The truth of the matter is that any future resolution of this matter with Israel is going to have to be negotiated. It isn’t going to be up to France or the UK or any other country. QUESTION: Let’s talk about Ukraine now, another big topic at the UN this week, of course. We are roughly a month out from that summit in Alaska between the President and President Putin. Since then, a roughly 50 percent increase in drone attacks, 50 percent increase in missile attacks as well. Is it possible that we misread President Putin’s intentions in Alaska? SECRETARY RUBIO: No, I think we’ve always known that his intentions are to take Donetsk, for example, and he’s defined that openly. I think the hope we have, since we’re the only country in the world that can really talk to both countries involved in this – we’re the only ones that can talk to Ukraine and Russia, and everyone’s encouraged us to play that role. At some point that role might end. As you can see, the President’s already repeatedly expressed his deep disappointment at the direction that Putin is taking this, even after Alaska. And at some point he may have to decide to impose new sanctions. But I think it’s important for Europe to impose sanctions, too. Right now there are countries in Europe that are still buying massive amounts of oil and natural gas from Russia, which is absurd. I mean, they’re asking for the U.S. to impose more sanctions, but there are countries in Europe that are not doing enough. So I think they need to do more. We’ve already seen the measures we’ve taken with regards to India, although that’s something we hope we can fix. But – and the President has the ability to do more, and he’s considering doing more because of the direction this has taken. But let’s remember, he didn’t start this war. He inherited it, and all he’s wanted to do is end it. And he’s going to do everything he can, give it every chance in the world to succeed. The minute we go heavy on the sanctions and everything else, our ability to act as a broker to bring about peace is diminished, and this war then goes on for another two years and hundreds of thousands of more people will die. So we’re trying to avoid that. We hope to avoid that. QUESTION: Sure. SECRETARY RUBIO: But ultimately, that’s not up to us. That’s up to Putin. If he decides not to take that offer, then unfortunately we’ll have to do what we have to do. QUESTION: To be fair, you are right. We’re about the third – I think three years into the war. The President repeatedly, though, did say that he would end the war in Ukraine on day one, and we are some 250 days into the administration. Let’s talk U.S. and China here, Mr. Secretary. As you know, we are apparently — SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, but that’s not up – we didn’t – that’s not up to us to end the war. The Russians have to stop the war. QUESTION: Well, yes. But — SECRETARY RUBIO: And the Ukrainians have to agree to a peace deal. What the President expressed is that it would be a priority of his. And it has been. I don’t think anyone could argue that it hasn’t been a priority. QUESTION: Yes. But again, repeatedly on the campaign trail he said he would end it on day one. We’re 246 days into the administration. SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I think – which is an indication that he repeatedly said that he would make it a priority. He certainly has done more than Biden ever did to end the war. Biden didn’t even have a plan for the war. QUESTION: Let’s talk about the U.S. and China and the TikTok deal. That’s important to a lot of folks, as you know, especially young people. It looks like there is the framework of a deal. We’ve been repeatedly told that the reason this is happening is because there is concern that the Chinese are using the algorithm to manipulate folks in this country and also steal data from folks in this country. What can you tell us about how this deal is going to address those concerns? SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I’m not going to get into the details of the deal because they still need to be finalized. I think all the things you pointed to in your question are certainly considerations, which is why the ownership of the group that’s actually going to control this app here in the U.S. and how it’s used in the U.S. is critical. That’s why those who handle the data is critical. That’s why having insight into the algorithm is critical. And all those things are sort of dealt with in the constructs of this outline. But it still needs to be – I think we’re – the framework is in place. It’s been negotiated. The Treasury Secretary went over there and negotiated the outlines of it, as well as the Vice President has been very involved in this. But it still needs to be finalized. Suffice it to say all the things you’ve just raised are part of the considerations that went into putting this deal together. QUESTION: Yeah. Really quickly, Mr. Secretary, as you probably know, Jimmy Kimmel returning to late night tonight. The Vice President at one point suggested that you should be hosting late night. Amid all of the political violence we’ve seen in this country over the last few months, are you at all concerned that it may be impacting America’s reputation abroad? There was a Republican senator who said we’re starting to look like a third world country. SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, we certainly aren’t treated like one. Every country in the world, every meeting I have, all they want us to do is to get more involved in solving some problem important in their region. So I think the United States today strongs not – today stands not just stronger, but more influential than it has ever been on the world stage despite media reports, despite idiotic commentary – commentators that know nothing about what’s happening here. Every meeting I go to it’s about someone asking us to get involved – in Lebanon, with Syria, in Israel and Gaza, in Ukraine, in the Indo-Pacific. QUESTION: Sure. SECRETARY RUBIO: And look what the President’s done and the wars he’s brought about to an end – Thailand and Cambodia, India and Pakistan. Time and again, the President has been the only leader in the world that can get involved. That doesn’t sound like a third world country to me. That sounds like a very powerful, influential country who is stronger and more respected on the world stage. QUESTION: Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Mr. Secretary, thank you for your time, sir. SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you. Tags Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs China Israel Office of the Spokesperson Official Domestic Travel Palestinian Territories Russia Russia-Ukraine War The Secretary of State Situation in the Middle East Ukraine UNGA80

Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Syrian President al-Sharaa  hide Secretary Rubio’s Meeting with Syrian President al-Sharaa  Readout September 22, 2025 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:  Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on U.S. priorities in Syria. The Secretary underscored this opportunity for Syria to build a stable and sovereign nation following President Trump’s historic announcement earlier this year on sanctions relief for the Syrian people. They discussed ongoing counterterrorism efforts, efforts to locate missing Americans, and the importance of Israel-Syria relations in achieving greater regional security. Tags Bilateral Relations and Engagement Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Office of the Spokesperson Official Domestic Travel The Secretary of State Syria UNGA80

Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary Rubio’s Call with Canadian Foreign Minister Anand hide Secretary Rubio’s Call with Canadian Foreign Minister Anand Readout September 21, 2025 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand to discuss the need for the UN Security Council to urgently adopt a resolution authorizing a UN Support Office for Haiti (UNSOH) and Gang Suppression Force (GSF).  Secretary Rubio also discussed the need to overcome Hamas’s ongoing obstruction of peace in Gaza. Tags Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Canada Haiti Hamas Office of the Spokesperson Organized Crime and Gangs Palestinian Territories

Office of the Spokesperson HomeOffice of the SpokespersonPress Releases…Secretary Rubio’s Call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud hide Secretary Rubio’s Call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud Readout September 21, 2025 The below is attributable to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.  Secretary Rubio reinforced the United States’ commitment to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) security.  The Secretary and the Foreign Minister discussed Syria and Sudan, along with efforts to secure the return of the hostages from Gaza, address urgent humanitarian needs, and ensure Hamas plays no role in the future of Gaza. Tags Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Hostage Recovery Humanitarian Diplomacy Office of the Spokesperson Saudi Arabia