Rubio clashes with CBS host over Iran nuclear weapon intelligence

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CBS Host Margaret Brennan sparred over whether or not U.S. intelligence had discovered that Iran had ordered the event of a nuclear weapon, with Rubio dismissing Brennan’s query as "irrelevant."

Brennan requested Rubio if america noticed "intelligence that the Supreme Chief had ordered weaponization" of uraniam on Face the Nation Sunday. Rubio, who additionally serves as Nationwide Safety Advisor, shot again on the CBS host, saying that whether or not Iran’s supreme chief ordered weaponization didn’t matter, the regime was already pursing a nuclear weapon.

"That’s irrelevant. I see that query being requested within the media on a regular basis. That’s an irrelevant query. They've the whole lot they should construct a weapon," Rubio mentioned.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended President Trump's Iran strikes on "Face the Nation" in a testy trade with host Margaret Brennan. (AP Photograph/Jose Luis Magana)

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The CBS host countered that whether or not weaponization was ordered was the "key level" in U.S. intelligence assessments. Rubio denied that was the case, and claimed that he knew the topic "higher" than Brennan.

" Why would you bury issues in a mountain, 300 toes beneath the bottom? Why would they've 60% enriched uranium? You do not want 60% enriched uranium. The one international locations on this planet which have uranium at 60% are international locations which have nuclear weapons, as a result of it could actually rapidly make it 90. They've all the weather. Why have they got an area program? Is Iran going to go to the moon? No. They're making an attempt to construct an ICBM to allow them to someday put a warhead on it," Rubio responded.

Brennan cited Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s March congressional testimony that Iran had not ordered the development of a nuclear weapon. The "Face the Nation" host requested Rubio if the U.S. intelligence group had discovered something new since Gabbard’s testimony. Rubio accused Brennan of not presenting the evaluation precisely.

<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/02/672/378/cbs-host-claims-free-speech-was-weaponized-by-nazi-germany.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/02/1344/756/cbs-host-claims-free-speech-was-weaponized-by-nazi-germany.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/02/931/523/cbs-host-claims-free-speech-was-weaponized-by-nazi-germany.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/02/1862/1046/cbs-host-claims-free-speech-was-weaponized-by-nazi-germany.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"> "Face The Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan requested Rubio if the U.S. had intelligence that Iran had ordered the development of a nuclear weapon. (Screenshot/CBS Information)

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"That is an inaccurate illustration of it. That is not how intelligence is learn. That is now how intelligence is used," Rubio mentioned.

Rubio went on to state that the Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company just lately discovered Iran was not in compliance with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations. The IAEA report discovered that Iran couldn't account for the way traces of uranium had been discovered at undeclared nuclear websites.

"The Board of Governors... finds that Iran's many failures to uphold its obligations since 2019 to offer the Company with full and well timed cooperation concerning undeclared nuclear materials and actions at a number of undeclared areas in Iran ... constitutes non-compliance with its obligations beneath its Safeguards Settlement with the Company," the report mentioned.

Rubio claimed the intelligence was clear Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons. (Maxar Applied sciences/AP)

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"They've the supply mechanisms, they've the enrichment functionality, they've the extremely enriched uranium that's saved. That is all we have to see. Particularly within the arms of a regime that is already concerned in terrorism and proxies and every kind of issues round. They're the supply of all instability within the Center East," Rubio mentioned.