Marco Rubio Leaves Situation Room - Stuns World with 3 Word Announcement
Rubio Says US Striking Iran To Eliminate Nuclear Threat Permanently
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the recent U.S. strike on Iran was designed to permanently eliminate what he described as the country’s nuclear threat. He said the mission had been clear “from day one.”
“This was the final, best chance to wipe out Iran’s threat for good — so they can never have a nuclear weapon,” Rubio said in a video shared on X. He added that Iran could pursue civilian nuclear energy but accused Tehran of building hidden facilities capable of enriching material to weapons-grade levels, Fox News reported.
“They build their reactors and their facilities deep in mountains away from the public glare,” Rubio said. “The same equipment that they could use to enrich material for energy they could use to quickly enrich it to weapons-grade.”
Rubio warned that Iran had been close to developing a large stockpile of missiles and drones that could shield its nuclear program. He called that scenario an “intolerable risk” and said the U.S. operation also aims to degrade those capabilities.
Speaking on “Hannity,” Rubio said the U.S. remains open to direct talks with Tehran while maintaining a hard stance on negotiations. He warned that the administration would not allow talks to be used as a delay tactic.
“There is the potential for a direct meeting at some point,” Rubio said. “But what President Trump is not going to allow is fake negotiations to be used as a delay tactic.”
Rubio said the U.S. is “very, very close” to achieving its objectives in dealing with Iran. He also claimed recent U.S. actions had weakened Tehran significantly.
“This is the weakest Iran has been in 25 years,” Rubio said. “This is the weakest Iran has ever been.”
Rubio told host Sean Hannity that Iran had been working toward missile capabilities that could eventually reach the continental United States. He compared Tehran’s ambitions to those of North Korea.
“That’s what they were aiming to do,” Rubio said. “They were aiming to become the next North Korea.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera Media Network, Rubio criticized European allies for their response to the conflict and suggested the U.S. may need to reassess its relationship with NATO. He pointed to restrictions placed on U.S. military operations by allied nations, Breitbart News reported.
Rubio said some NATO members, including Spain, denied U.S. access to airspace and bases during the operation. He questioned whether the alliance remains beneficial if allies do not support the U.S. in times of need.
“If that’s the arrangement, that’s a hard one to stay engaged in and say this is good for the United States,” Rubio said. “All of it’s going to have to be re-examined.”
The administration also expressed frustration with the United Kingdom’s initial refusal to allow strikes from the joint U.S.-UK base on Diego Garcia. British officials later allowed use of airbases, which became a key staging point for operations.
President Donald Trump also criticized European allies over their response to the conflict and efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz. He urged countries reliant on the waterway to take responsibility for protecting their own energy supply.
“You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore.”
Trump also criticized France for refusing to assist U.S. operations related to Iran. He said the United States would remember the lack of support from allies moving forward.
Nearly 150,000 California Mail Ballots Rejected In Primary
California election officials are examining why nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during the state’s June primary, with late-arriving ballots accounting for most of the increase.
The higher rejection rate comes despite years of election law changes designed to make voting more accessible and ensure more ballots are ultimately counted.
According to data compiled by the California Secretary of State’s office, 148,241 mail-in ballots were rejected during the June primary, representing 1.73% of all mail ballots returned.
That marks an increase from the 2024 primary, when 108,982 ballots were rejected, or 1.56% of all mail ballots cast.
The largest reason for rejection was ballots arriving too late to qualify under California law.
State data shows that 93,479 ballots were rejected because they failed to meet the state’s deadline requirements.
California allows mail ballots to arrive up to seven days after Election Day, provided they are postmarked on or before Election Day.
Voting experts believe many of the rejected ballots received postmarks dated after Election Day, making them ineligible to be counted even if they arrived within the seven-day grace period.
Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said the timing of postal processing appears to be a significant concern.
“Ballots rejected due to lateness are caused primarily to being postmarked too late to count, not because they arrived too late to count,” Alexander said.
Election experts have questioned whether recent operational changes within the U.S. Postal Service may be contributing to delayed postmarks.
Earlier this year, a group of mostly Democratic U.S. senators wrote to the Postal Service expressing concern that mail-processing changes could affect ballot handling during federal elections.
Updated Postal Service procedures mean postmarks may reflect when mail is processed at regional facilities rather than when it first enters the mail system.
Because processing centers have been consolidated in some areas, election officials have warned that postmark timing could be affected.
Before the June primary, California election officials encouraged voters to mail ballots as early as possible because of potential postal delays.
The June election also featured a highly competitive race for governor, which some experts believe encouraged many voters to wait until the final days before casting ballots.
In addition to late-arriving ballots, approximately 44,000 ballots were rejected because election officials determined the voter’s signature did not match the signature on file.
Another 8,300 ballots were rejected because the return envelope did not contain a signature.
State records also show that 743 ballots were rejected because those voters had already cast another ballot.
Other rejected ballots involved missing ballots inside return envelopes or multiple ballots submitted in a single envelope.
The highest rejection rate in the state occurred in Tulare County, where 3.52% of returned mail ballots were rejected.
Alpine County and Merced County followed closely, each recording rejection rates of 3.36%.
California has frequently faced criticism for taking weeks to complete vote counting after major elections, largely because state law permits ballots meeting certain requirements to continue arriving after Election Day.
Following the June primary, President Donald Trump again criticized California’s election system, while the Department of Justice opened an investigation into election administration in Los Angeles County.
Election experts emphasize that the increase in rejected ballots should not be interpreted as evidence of widespread voter fraud.
A 2025 report by the Brookings Institution found documented cases of mail ballot fraud remained extremely rare, estimating roughly four cases for every 10 million mail ballots cast, The Associated Press reported.
State officials have not identified evidence of widespread fraud connected to the June primary, but the increase in rejected ballots is expected to receive additional scrutiny as election administrators evaluate whether changes in postal operations, voter behavior or election procedures contributed to the higher rejection rate.
