Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Sean Hannity of Fox News

QUESTION:  And becoming a member of us now’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio is with us.  He’s in Türkiye tonight.  Mr. Secretary, nice to have you ever.  Thanks for becoming a member of us.  

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Good to see you the opposite day, Sean.   

QUESTION:  Yeah, it was nice to see you in individual.  You made an announcement that NATO is barely as robust as its weakest hyperlink.  This subject about NATO and different nations paying their fair proportion goes to be coming to a head in about six weeks, is my understanding.  Lot of countries haven’t lived as much as that.  The place are we when it comes to pushing individuals on that subject?  

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Effectively, really, 2018 was one of the crucial essential moments in NATO historical past.  It’s when President Trump on the NATO summit walked by means of the totally different contributions of various nations, a few of whom have been beneath 1 % of GDP – lower than 1 % of their economic system was being spent on protection.  Since that point we’ve seen enhancements, and I can inform you that we’re headed for a summit in six weeks during which nearly each member of NATO will likely be at or above 2 %, however extra importantly, a lot of them will likely be over 4 % and all may have agreed on a purpose of reaching 5 % over the following decade.  It’ll be the primary time ever in NATO historical past the place they’ve reached targets and objectives that can permit NATO companions to be greater than 50 % of the Alliance.  That’s a historic second if it involves fruition.  That’s what was agreed upon immediately by the overseas ministers.  And I feel all of that tracks again to 2018 when President Trump challenged the members of the Alliance to step up.  

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, you stated, “The purpose of NATO is to prevent wars through its strength… that’s why we want to see it grow stronger.”  You talked a few trillion {dollars} in our army spending.  Tomorrow the Ukrainian delegation will likely be assembly with the Turkish overseas minister.  And also you additionally went into element – there had been some hope, possibly, in the background – was by no means any full dedication – that Vladimir Putin would possibly present up at this and have a gathering with Zelenskyy.  And then you definitely have been fairly clear immediately that you simply consider if that’s going to occur, it might take Donald Trump sitting down with Vladimir Putin.  What precisely did you imply by that?   

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah, it’s my evaluation and I feel it’s the President’s evaluation.  By the best way, I feel he stated publicly immediately that the one manner we’re going to have a breakthrough right here – nothing goes to occur at this level – given all the pieces we all know, after months of engaged on this, nothing goes to occur till President Trump sits throughout the desk from Vladimir Putin and places it on the road and places it on the desk.  I feel that’s the one likelihood we have now at peace at this level given all the pieces we’ve seen during the last few weeks.  There’s been talks, there’s been negotiations, there’s been journeys and conferences.  However ultimately, I feel we’ve reached the conclusion, and rightfully so, because the President has, that the one manner that is going to occur – if it has an opportunity to occur, the one manner it occurs is – is the President straight engages with Vladimir Putin.   

So I don’t know what the date or the place of that’s but, however that’s actually the one likelihood at this level.  And I feel there are plenty of nations right here that may privately share that evaluation as nicely.  

QUESTION:  Do you’ve got, Mr. Secretary, any diploma of confidence?  You’ve been clear that this struggle goes to finish not by means of army resolution – by means of a army resolution however by means of a diplomatic one, and also you stated it’s both going to be ultimately, and if it occurs sooner much less individuals will die, much less destruction that there will likely be.  And the President retains speaking in regards to the human toll, the humanity – all of the human loss and tragedy and destruction and loss of life that has taken place right here, and for what cause?  

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yeah, I – Sean, I feel the President the opposite night time or the opposite day in Saudi Arabia gave maybe one of essentially the most spectacular speeches of his presidency and one of the crucial significant speeches by an American president abroad in many years.  And in it, one of many issues he talks about is how he needs to see extra constructing and fewer bombing.  In essence, he needs to see us constructing issues up, not destroying issues.   

The President, frankly, is a lover of peace.  He’s – it is a individual that may – needs to cease wars and forestall wars and finish wars.  That’s what the President endeavors to do.  In actual fact, he overtly has stated – and he stated it within the speech – that he needs we didn’t should spend all this cash on the army; we may spend it as an alternative on creating wealth and prosperity and human improvement.  Clearly, that’s not the best way the world works, however that’s what he hopes we will obtain.  And that’s what he’s making an attempt to realize right here.  That’s it.   

I used to be simply requested a query by the media right here about this a couple of minutes in the past, and I stated I nonetheless don’t perceive why some could be vital of the President – they need to be completely satisfied that the President of essentially the most highly effective nation on earth is a peacemaker who seeks to stop wars, seeks to finish wars, and seeks to cease present wars.  I feel that is one thing we needs to be very happy with, that we have now a President that seeks peace, seeks the tip of loss of life and destruction – on this case, within the Russia-Ukraine struggle which has gone on far too lengthy, destroyed hundreds and hundreds of lives, and actually goes to value billions of {dollars} to rebuild from.   

QUESTION:  Effectively, clearly, we – we hope that that – that some type of breakthrough can happen.  Let me go to the – the place we’re right here within the Center East.  And you’ve been very, very clear, and the President has been clear:  The primary state sponsor of terror – that may be the Iranians – they should stroll away from sponsoring terrorism; stroll away from serving to Hamas, Hizballah, the Islamic Jihad, the Houthis.  They should cease firing missiles at Israel, however extra importantly, stroll away from constructing long-range missiles that don’t have any different objective than to have nuclear weapons and stroll away utterly from enrichment.   

If you discuss that, I’m a trust-but-verify man, as I do know that you’re.  That will imply – meaning zero enrichment, that may imply American inspectors, and that may imply anyplace, anyplace, anytime inspections sooner or later as any – as a part of any deal.  They must destroy their amenities.  These amenities must be destroyed for them for that to occur.  Are you – we for the primary time this week obtained a sign that they may be prepared to make a deal on this.  You may have any excessive diploma of confidence that they’d be sensible?  The President has been clear:  They’ll both do it the simple manner or it will likely be finished for them.  I don’t assume he could possibly be any extra clear than he’s been.  Do you assume – have any diploma of confidence they are going to be sensible?   

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Effectively, initially, I feel what the President did is lengthen a possibility.  And the chance is Iran could be a affluent and peaceable nation.  And that’s the chance earlier than them, and he hopes that they’ll take this chance and that they’ll take this provide.  He says this provide gained’t be round endlessly.  And what he means by that’s in some unspecified time in the future choices should be made about extra most stress and different choices as a result of Iran can by no means have a nuclear weapon.  Look, the regime – and our drawback will not be with the Iranian individuals.  The Iranian persons are a peaceable individuals, an historical civilization and tradition we admire vastly.  Our drawback is with a clerical regime that’s behind each drawback within the area: Hizballah, Hamas, the Houthis, the militias which have performed assaults out of Iraq and Syria.  All of them – it – all of them monitor again to the Iranian regime.  Syria – all of the instability in Syria tracks again to the Iranian regime.  It’s a regime that day-after-day and each Friday chants, “Death to Israel, death to America.”  We should consider them once they say that.   

A regime like that may by no means have nuclear weapons, and the President has made clear they won’t have a nuclear weapon.  We hope it’s by means of the trail of negotiation.  We hope it’s by means of the trail of diplomacy.  Steve Witkoff is doing a fantastic job at negotiating in a really troublesome negotiation.  This won’t be simple, however he’s doing a fantastic job at making an attempt to result in that peaceable decision to this drawback, and we should always pray that he’s profitable.  I’ve confidence in him.  However ultimately the choice lies within the palms of 1 individual, and that’s the supreme chief in Iran.  And I hope he chooses the trail of peace and prosperity, not a harmful path.  And we’ll see how that performs out. 

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, one – by means of printed stories, public stories, and those that I’ve spoken to that may have data of such issues, their stage of enrichment is kind of excessive.  It’s believed – the IAEA has stated so.  If you’re at 60 % enrichment, it’s not a stretch to get to weapons-grade enrichment at 80, 90 %, regardless of the stage occurs to be.  My understanding is that might occur inside a matter of months, so that call of the Iranians should be made that rapidly.  The place will we stand when it comes to their willingness to surrender their ambition to have these weapons? 

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Effectively, we all know.  We’re about to check it and we’ll discover out.  Look, if you say 60, it’s deceptive when individuals hear that quantity as a result of they assume 60 % enrichment and 90 % is what you want for a weapon.  Really, 90 % of the work it takes to get to weapons-grade enrichment is attending to 60.  As soon as you’re at 60, you’re 90 % of the best way there.  You’re in essence a threshold nuclear weapon state, which is what Iran mainly has turn into.  They’re on the threshold of a nuclear weapon.  In the event that they determined to take action, they may accomplish that in a short time.  In the event that they stockpile sufficient of that 60 % enriched, they may in a short time flip it into 90 and weaponize it. 

That’s the hazard we face proper now.  That’s the urgency right here.  That’s why Israel is – feels urgency about it and that’s why we really feel urgency about it, however not simply us.  All through the Gulf area, no nation within the area needs Iran to have a nuclear weapon.  And also you additionally discuss not only a weapon; they’ve long-range missiles that they’ll ship that weapon, these weapons, by means of.  So it is a very grave danger.  And they’re enriching at that stage, and they’re overtly doing it, by the best way.  In actual fact, their congress, for – their legislative department really handed a legislation requiring them to complement at a sure stage as a result of JCPOA, the Obama cope with Iran, was canceled.  

So we’re at a – it is a vital second.  The President has made it a precedence.  And now individuals perceive the urgency right here as a result of they’re pretty shut, too shut for consolation, to a nuclear weapon.  We should roll that again a method or one other, and we hope it’s peacefully and thru the method of negotiation. 

QUESTION:  All proper.  Secretary of State Marco Rubio, we respect you being with us.  Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.  

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Thanks.  Thanks, Sean.