US Secretary of State claims strikes on Iran are 'defensive'

• Marco Rubio maintained US military strikes are strictly defensive actions to safeguard forces, shipping, and national interests.
• Rubio stated Trump decisively tackled an existential threat neglected by past administrations, calling an Iranian bomb unacceptable.
• He acknowledged the political friction, arguing presidents must execute difficult decisions essential for national security.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended on Monday recent American military strikes over Iran alleging it is defensive, claiming that US President Donald Trump confronted a longstanding national security challenge that previous administrations failed to resolve.

Speaking to reporters on an airfield tarmac, Rubio alleged that the United States acts in self-defense against imminent hazards facing regional personnel and commercial maritime corridors.

"The US acts defensively. If there's a threat to our forces in the region, we will act against those. If there's a threat to shipping—we've been defending shipping for a while. So if there's a clear and present threat to shipping or to our forces in the region, we have a right to defend ourselves," Rubio claimed, noting that military operational choices depend on alleged incoming threat levels.

Rubio framed the administration's confrontation with Tehran around preventing its nuclear advancement, describing it as an urgent priority that crosses traditional political lines.

"The President of the United States identified a very real threat to this country that's existed for a very long period of time, and he addressed it," Rubio said. "He addressed it even though oftentimes the right thing to do for the country -confronting difficult challenges to the security of our country- doing it isn't necessarily popular, but necessary."

Rubio emphasized the broad consensus surrounding the risk posed by Tehran's nuclear program.

"At the end of the day, I think we can all agree -I think there's bipartisan, I would hope it's bipartisan... acknowledgment that a nuclear Iran would be completely unacceptable and dangerous to the United States, not just Israel, not just the Middle East, the whole world and the United States."

Addressing the political friction and scrutiny surrounding the conflict, Rubio defended Trump claiming that presidents are chosen precisely to handle hard choices.

"I think the President took on something that other presidents have failed to do," he added. "Sometimes when you do the right thing, I don't know if it's popular or not, but it's the right thing to do, and presidents are elected to do the hard things—sometimes difficult things, but necessary."