Rubio says Iran is ‘run by lunatic clerics’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday described Iran as being “run by lunatic clerics” and said its leadership must never obtain a nuclear weapon.
“The central issue here is Iran is run by lunatic clerics, okay?” Rubio told Fox News. “By lunatic clerics that have a radical view of their religion, you know, very radical view, and an apocalyptic view of their religion.”
“These people can never have nuclear weapons,” he said.
Rubio accused Tehran of supporting armed groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen and said Iran’s nuclear program was a concern for regional states and the wider world.
“Imagine North Korea, but in the Middle East – that would be catastrophic for the world,” Rubio said.
He said world leaders agreed that Iran should not obtain a nuclear weapon but argued that action would eventually be needed to prevent that outcome.
“Every world leader you meet with tells the president, ‘We agree they can’t have a nuclear weapon.’ Eventually, someone has to do something about it, or it’s going to happen,” Rubio said.
Rubio also linked the issue to energy markets, saying a nuclear-armed Iran could use its position around the Strait of Hormuz to exert greater pressure on other countries.