Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump would be willing to meet directly with Iran’s supreme leader if doing so could help resolve disputes between the two countries.

In an interview with Bloomberg News while in Munich, Rubio said Trump views high-level engagement as a practical tool rather than a political concession.

“I’m pretty confident in saying that if the ayatollah said tomorrow he wanted to meet with President Trump, the President would meet him,” Rubio said. “Not because he agrees with the ayatollah, but because he thinks that’s the way you solve problems in the world.”

Rubio was referring to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate authority over the country’s political and military decisions.

“He doesn’t view meeting someone as a concession,” Rubio added.

The secretary’s remarks are consistent with previous statements in which he has said Trump is willing to meet with virtually any world leader in pursuit of diplomatic solutions.

Administration officials have argued that direct engagement, combined with economic and military pressure, gives Washington greater leverage in negotiations, particularly over Iran’s nuclear program.

Rubio was also asked whether Washington is losing patience with Iran, following the Pentagon’s announcement that it is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
He responded by emphasizing that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remains a core U.S. priority.

“I think it’s pretty clear that Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said. “That poses a threat not just to the United States, to Europe, to world security, and to the region.”

He said the expanded military presence is meant to deter potential attacks on U.S. forces and allies in the region.

“Iran has shown the willingness and the capability to lash and strike out at the United States presence in the region,” Rubio said. “We have to have sufficient firepower in the region to ensure that they don’t make a mistake and come after us and trigger something larger.”

Despite the show of military strength, Rubio stressed that Trump’s preferred outcome remains a negotiated settlement. The president, he said, believes diplomacy — even at the highest level — offers the best chance to defuse tensions and prevent a broader conflict.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)