Rubio defends Trump’s Iran diplomacy against conservative pressure

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Donald Trump’s push for an Iran peace agreement as Republican hawks attacked the emerging framework. Rubio argued that Trump’s approach was not a revival of the Obama-era nuclear deal and said the administration would not accept a nuclear-armed Iran. Rubio’s defense placed him between Trump’s negotiating team and conservative critics including Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Roger Wicker, Tom Cotton, Mike Pompeo, and John Bolton. The debate centered on whether the United States should accept a ceasefire and sanctions relief tied to Iran’s nuclear concessions, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and ending the wider military conflict.