Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio delivered a forceful defense of the U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure during a tense interview on CBS News’ Face the Nation Sunday, pushing back sharply against journalist Margaret Brennan’s line of questioning over whether the U.S. had direct intelligence linking Iran’s Supreme Leader to an active weaponization order.
“That’s irrelevant,” Rubio said bluntly when pressed on whether the U.S. had proof of such an order. “It doesn’t matter that the order was given. They have everything they need to build nuclear weapons.”
Rubio laid out the case for action by citing Iran’s ongoing uranium enrichment to 60% purity — a level far beyond civilian energy needs and just a technical step away from weapons-grade enrichment. “The only countries in the world that have uranium at 60% are countries that have nuclear weapons,” he emphasized. “Why would you bury things in a mountain, 300 feet under the ground, unless you were trying to hide something?”
Brennan countered that the intelligence community had previously assessed Iran’s aim as becoming a “threshold state” to gain geopolitical leverage, not necessarily to cross into full weaponization. Rubio rejected that characterization, questioning Brennan’s interpretation. “How do you know what the intelligence assessment says?” he asked.
MUST WATCH: @SecRubio schools Margaret Brennan on the Iranian regime’s nuclear program.
“Why do they have 60% enriched uranium? … The only countries in the world that have uranium at 60% are countries that have nuclear weapons because they can quickly make it 90%!” pic.twitter.com/XO8ol5jBIn
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 22, 2025
When Brennan responded that the information came from a March assessment, Rubio called it an “inaccurate representation,” stating, “That’s not how our intelligence is read. That’s not how intelligence is used.”
Rubio pointed to publicly available findings from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has repeatedly reported that Iran’s enrichment far exceeds peaceful standards and violates nonproliferation agreements. “They are enriching uranium well beyond anything you need for a civil nuclear program,” he said. “Why are they developing ICBMs? Why do they have 8,000 short-range missiles and thousands of mid-range ones? These are not signs of a peaceful program.”
Even as Brennan clarified that her question was about intent, Rubio dismissed the distinction. “They have everything they need for a nuclear weapon — the delivery mechanisms, the enrichment capability, the highly-enriched uranium that is stored — that’s all we need to see, especially in the hands of a regime that’s already involved in terrorism and proxy wars. They are the source of all instability in the Middle East.”
Pressed once more, Rubio closed the exchange by stating, “We have intelligence that they have everything they need to build a nuclear weapon — and that’s more than enough.”
