ATHENS -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran will never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, declaring that preventing Tehran from doing so is a red line for President Donald Trump.
“Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Simple, period, end of story,” Rubio said on October 7 in Athens, where he held talks with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis during the sixth US-Greece Strategic Dialogue.
Asked whether Washington was prepared to accept some Iranian uranium enrichment, Rubio declined to specify what level of enrichment might be acceptable. Instead, he said any agreement would have to ensure that Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon.”
“That is what our position is. That is the reason why this began,” Rubio said.
Rubio also accused Tehran of trying to build such a large conventional military arsenal that it would eventually become difficult for the United States or its allies to act against its nuclear program.
“What Iran was trying to do was build up a conventional capability so massive that they would become untouchable,” Rubio said.
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Iran-Aligned Houthis Target Riyadh, Aden AirportsHe said US military action had severely weakened Iran, including by destroying or degrading much of its drone and missile capabilities and its navy and air force.
“They are far less powerful militarily today than they were,” Rubio said.
Iran's military capabilities have been significantly degraded during the conflict, although Tehran retains missile and drone capabilities. The current state of its nuclear program remains difficult to assess. with the International Atomic Energy Agency citing limited access for international monitors.
Iran Faces 'Freefall'
Rubio also portrayed Iran as facing a deepening economic crisis, saying its economy was heading toward “complete freefall.”
He pointed to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the continued flow of oil through the strategic waterway, saying Tehran had lost control of the crucial waterway.
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Iran's Hormuz Leverage Is Fading, But It Isn't GoneWhile oil shipments have resumed, traffic through the strait remains disrupted and Iran has continued to insist that its full reopening depends on Washington meeting conditions set by Tehran.
Rubio blamed Iran's leadership for the country's economic problems, accusing the government of spending its resources on Hezbollah, Hamas, Iraqi militias, and the Houthis rather than improving living conditions at home.
“They should have spent their money on their people, and instead they spend the money on terrorism, on weapons,” he said.
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Iran's Medicine Shortages Fuel Black Market For Essential DrugsRubio said Tehran had previously had multiple opportunities to reach agreements over its nuclear program but had failed to do so.
Greece A Key Ally
Rubio described Greece as a critical US ally at a time of growing instability in Europe and the Middle East, citing conflicts involving Iran, Russia and Ukraine, and the Red Sea.
He called Greece “a source of stability in an unstable world” and praised Athens for increasing defense spending.
Greece is on track to meet a commitment to spend 5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense this year, Rubio said, with more than 3.5 percent going toward core defense spending.
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Rubio In Iceland Signals Deeper NATO Push As Russia, China Challenge Arctic SecurityHe also announced that Greece will join the US National Guard's State Partnership Program and be paired with the Florida National Guard, further expanding military cooperation.
The two countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation on counterterrorism and information-sharing between law-enforcement agencies.
Rubio cited Greece's position on major migration and trafficking routes as making it particularly exposed to terrorism, human trafficking, and transnational crime.
Washington and Athens also plan to expand cooperation on US liquefied-natural-gas exports, electricity and gas interconnections, emerging technologies, and regional energy security.
The countries are also working together to combat the trafficking of Greek and other Mediterranean antiquities into the United States.
Rubio To Make Case For The West
Rubio is due to deliver a speech later on October 7 at Athens' Pnyx, overlooking the Acropolis, where he is expected to make a broader argument about democracy, national identity, and the future of the West.
According to excerpts of his prepared remarks released by the State Department ahead of the speech, Rubio will call for what he describes as a “great renewal of the Western spirit.”
He is expected to argue that ancient Athens embodied qualities that came to define the West, including individual ambition, exploration, invention, competition, and a drive to overcome limits.
“Here in Athens, we found the first full realization of all the essential traits that would come to define the West,” Rubio will say, according to the excerpts.
He will contrast the ancient Greek pursuit of excellence with what he portrays as a modern emphasis on safety and comfort at the expense of ambition and achievement.
“The men who made the Parthenon built upwards,” Rubio is expected to say.
'The Next Decade'
Rubio is also expected to portray the West as standing at a historic crossroads.
“The next decade will write the story of the next century,” he will say, according to the prepared remarks.
He is expected to argue that the United States under Trump has chosen “the unapologetic pursuit of national power,” including rebuilding US manufacturing, strengthening defense, securing critical supply chains, and competing for leadership in emerging technologies.
Rubio is also expected to emphasize advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, drones, weapons, semiconductors, critical minerals, cybersecurity, energy, and space exploration.
His remarks will also challenge the idea that foreign policy should put the interests of a “global community” ahead of a country's own citizens.
Rubio is expected to argue that loyalty to one's nation and defending its interests are not selfish, invoking ancient Greek examples of duty, sacrifice, and honor.
He will also draw a sharp contrast with Iran's clerical leadership, according to the excerpts, accusing its “radical mullahs” of glorifying death and martyrdom.
“Our heroes may be willing to die for their cause; but they do not worship death,” Rubio will say.
The speech is expected to cast the confrontation with Iran as part of a wider struggle over the values and future direction of the West, taking Rubio's message in Athens beyond security and diplomacy to a broader defense of national power, Western identity, and democratic traditions.