'Iran has never faced a President like Trump': Marco Rubio praises US leader's decisive approach

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised President Donald Trump's approach towards Iran, saying the Iranian regime has never encountered an American president who acts with such decisiveness. Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Rubio said the Trump administration had adopted a markedly different strategy towards the Islamic Republic, arguing that Tehran could no longer rely on its traditional tactics to avoid consequences.

"I don't think the Iranian regime has ever faced a President like Trump, which is somebody that actually takes action," Rubio said. "They got used to, for 20-30 years -- not just the U.S., but the broader world -- allowing them to get away with things like lying, breaking deals."

Detailing the impact of recent military actions, Rubio stated that US strikes have "severely degraded" Iran's defensive capabilities, claiming that the regime has lost the conventional shield it once relied on for protection. "They still have missiles, and they still have drones, and they can still do damage," Rubio acknowledged. He emphasised, however, that Iran no longer possesses the "conventional shield that they were going to hide behind."

He argued that this was precisely why Iran now appeared eager to negotiate on issues such as denuclearisation and the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that the United States is engaging with Tehran from what he described as a position of "absolute strength."

"And that's changed the whole dynamic. It's the only reason why they are now willing and in some cases, seem eager, to do a deal on denuclearisation, to do a deal on the straits. Because we are now approaching them from a position of strength, not from a position of weakness," he added.

Addressing Tehran's foreign policy goals and long-standing efforts to project power across the Middle East, the Secretary of State emphasised that Washington must significantly raise the stakes to curb the regime's regional influence. "They want to export their revolution," Rubio added. "That does have to change -- and the only way you're going to change that is if you make the price of it too high for them to be able to pay."

Hours after Rubio's remarks, , while noting that Israel has joined him in this commitment.

Trump said there have been urgent appeals from Middle Eastern Countries to hold off any attack as "perimeters of a deal have been agreed to".

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the proposed deal would include the "immediate, complete and total opening of the Strait of Hormuz" and an end to what he described as Iran's nuclear threat. He added that Israel had agreed to work with the United States in pursuing the agreement.

Trump's announcement marked another turn in the conflict a day after he had suggested the US was close to resuming heavy military strikes to force Tehran to the negotiating table.

The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, starting a war that Trump said was aimed at destroying Tehran's missile capabilities, preventing it from obtaining a nuclear weapon and ending its support for allied armed groups.

But the stated goals and timelines for the conflict have repeatedly shifted, and an earlier mid-June deal to stop the fighting crumbled within weeks.