Secretary of State Marco Rubio isn't shy about calling the Iranian regime out for what it really is: "religious-theocratic lunatics."
He reinforced that message Thursday during his Middle East trip, assuring Gulf allies that the Trump administration will handle Iran decisively. When asked by a reporter if he still stood by the label, Rubio’s answer couldn't have been clearer.
🚨Secretary of State Marco Rubio doubles down on calling Iran's leadership "religious theocratic lunatics". Iran is not a government. It's a theocracy with ballistic missiles and a death wish for Western civilization.
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) June 25, 2026
You don't negotiate with a regime. You judge them by what… pic.twitter.com/XfXZiSmpcA
"You used to call them religious theocratic lunatics," a reporter said. "Do you still believe that language applies to the leadership today?"
"Well, look, it's not that I believe it. It's the fact of the matter," the Secretary of State replied. "I mean, the Iranian system is led by clerics, radical clerics. That's what it's always been led by, and that's what it continues to be led by. That said, we also have to manage the geopolitics of the situation. And if they've changed their mindset or if they've changed their approach to their relations with the United States and their neighbors, then we're going to give this thing a chance to work."
"Maybe this changed. I'm not saying it has. I'm saying the president wants to explore whether that's the case," he added. "And if it has, we're going to find out. But we're not going to find out because of what they say. We're going to find out because of what they do. We're going to judge them by their actions."
This comes as the Trump administration seeks to reassure American allies in the Middle East that Iran will be dealt with properly, amid lingering concern over the memorandum of understanding the United States and Iran agreed to last week.
So far, Iran has continued to act as though it holds all the cards, showing disrespect toward the United States during weekend negotiations in Switzerland and even attacking a cargo vessel on Thursday that tried to transit the Strait of Hormuz along a non-Iranian-designated route.
President Trump assured the American people that Iran holds no cards, but many Americans are eager to see where the red line is as the regime continues to test his patience. The president wants peace, and that is noble, but Americans know the Iranian regime only respects force.