Every major problem in Middle East caused by Iran's radical Shia clerics, Rubio says

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Iran's Shia clerics were behind every major problem in the Middle East on Friday, while discussing the urgency behind the US-Israeli war on Iran. "Everywhere you turn, there's one common denominator: the Shia clerics of Iran and their expansionist mentality," Rubio said. According to Rubio, what makes Iran such a danger is the "revolutionary nature" of the regime. "The country is led by a religious Shia clerical class," Rubio said, describing the clerics as radicals who saw their job as to "export the revolution" as opposed to governing the country.

"They could care less what Iran's economy looks like. These people are revolutionaries."Iran's creation and backing of Hezbollah, support of militias in Iraq, the support of the Houthis in Yemen, as well as their involvement in the Syrian civil war are all a part of Iran's expansionism, according to Rubio. "This is an extraordinary historic danger and one that cannot be ignored because I know we think it's half a world away, but nothing is half a world away anymore.

Nothing is," Rubio said. Rubio also stated that if Iran wanted nuclear energy, they could have had it. While Iran has denied intentions of building a nuclear weapon, Rubio said, "They built missiles for nuclear weapons. They enrich uranium well beyond the need." "If what they wanted was nuclear energy, they could have had it, as South Korea has it, like Japan, as other countries do," Rubio stated. US inflicting enough financial damage on Iranian regime, military action unnecessary, Rubio saysWhile Rubio acknowledged that the conflict was unpopular, he assured that the conflict was essential, and that the US was currently inflicting enough economic damage on the Iranian regime that additional military action was unnecessary.

"Frankly, the economic pain that we are inflicting on that regime is so great that there's no need for military action, because we weaken them so much...but it's hard; it's not easy, and it's difficult, and oftentimes it inflicts, you know, pain, economic pain, and otherwise. So, we recognize that." Idan Kweller contributed to this report.