Rubio defends Iran war as necessary to block nuclear threat

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that President Donald Trump launched the war against Iran to stop a nuclear threat, even though the conflict is not "necessarily popular" and contributed to Republican losses in Tuesday's elections. Rubio defended the eight-month-old war despite voters blaming it for higher energy prices and economic strain, which helped Democrats seize control of Congress. His comments contrasted with Vice President JD Vance's social media post blaming the war for the Republican defeat, though Trump backed Vance while insisting the war was historically justified. Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, but the IAEA reports it has uranium enriched to 60% purity, near weapons-grade levels. Rubio said no diplomatic breakthrough is imminent, while Trump indicated strikes could resume if negotiations fail, noting the U.S. has identified infrastructure targets including 38 bridges.