Rubio Defends Iran War: Not Popular, but Necessary

Marco Rubio is not backing away from the Iran war. The Secretary of State called President Donald Trump's decision to strike the country necessary to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, even as he conceded the conflict wasn't popular — a nod to the GOP's midterm losses last week.

Rubio's defense came in response to questions about Vice President JD Vance's claim last week that the war dragged Republicans down at the polls. Rubio said Trump was answering a very real threat when he launched the strikes earlier this year, arguing that doing the right thing for national security isn't necessarily popular, but necessary.

Trump isn't apologizing either. He told reporters Sunday that if he had it to do again, history would record it as one of the best things we ever did, warning that a nuclear-armed Iran would blow up the world. He also told 60 Minutes this weekend he isn't currently looking to escalate the conflict.

Diplomacy is going nowhere fast. Rubio said he wouldn't call the US-Iran talks near a breakthrough, describing Iranian demands as unacceptable and in some cases outrageous, ridiculous and not realistic. Iranian negotiators have been kicked out of the US as the talks stalled, and Trump has floated a possible timeline for more strikes.

Iran answered on the military front. Hours after the US military launched a task force on Nov. 7 aimed at choking off Tehran's weapons shipments and illicit trade, Iran lifted its self-imposed ballistic missile range limit and threatened to unleash new homegrown weapons. IRGC spokesperson Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebbi confirmed the roughly 1,240-mile cap is gone, saying the restriction has been lifted for us.