Despite canceling the attack, Marco Rubio declared: "The regime must change"

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated in an interview with the "Fox News" network that "the Iranian regime must change." This comes a few hours after President Donald Trump canceled a significant attack on Iranian territory "at his request and at the request of other countries." Rubio noted that the problem is not limited to the nuclear program alone, and emphasized that US President Donald Trump remains committed to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Later in the interview, the Secretary of State explained that he does not necessarily mean regime change, but rather a change in its behavior. Rubio added that the only way to lead to this turnaround is to raise the cost of this behavior to a level that Iran cannot withstand:

"This is exactly why they are now willing, and in some cases even seem eager, to reach an agreement on denuclearization and an agreement regarding the Strait of Hormuz – because we are dealing with them from a position of strength, not weakness."

Rubio's remarks come, as mentioned, after Trump announced the suspension of a planned attack on Iran, conditioning it on quickly reaching an agreement that would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and putting an end to what he defined as the "Iranian nuclear threat."

The president's announcement provided the regime in Tehran and its mouthpieces with an opportunity to present the move as an American retreat. Media outlets identified with the Iranian regime were quick to mock the American president, claiming that this is "another retreat" from his statements and the threats he made against Iran.