Marco Rubio Applauds Trump’s ‘Self Defense’ Iran Strategy: He Has Shown ‘Tremendous Restraint’
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) praised Donald Trump’s “tremendous restraint” in dealing with Iran as he celebrated the president’s approval of the fatal airstrike against Qasem Soleimani.
On Face The Nation, Margaret Brennan asked Rubio what is the Trump administration’s strategy for Iran now that the president is threatening to attack the country’s cultural sites if they try to retaliate to the Soleimani strike.
“It’s called self-defense,” Rubio answered. “Iran needs to understand that if we are attacked, whether directly by Iranians or through these proxy groups, we will respond.”
“This president has shown – he’s not getting a lot of credit for it – but tremendous restraint after 11 rocket attacks, after everything that happened in the shipping lanes, after the mines that they place on those ships, after the attacks against Saudi Arabia. He has shown tremendous restraint in not responding to those, but now we have reached a new level and it was time to enforce the crossing of these red lines.”
Brennan went on to ask Rubio if he was suggesting that Trump’s hand was forced because the president didn’t follow-up on previous threats in response to Iran’s aggressive actions. This led to further questions about what was the “imminent threat” the administration has cited to justify the Soleimani strike.
Rubio explained that the evidence behind the threat can’t be released right now, but “if the President of the United States is presented with information that there is an imminent and credible threat…the president has an obligation to act.” Brennan continued to ask Rubio if he knows what the threat was, to which, he answered “I know what the threats have been for months” but declined to elaborate.
Watch above, via CBS
