U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that Iran remains the “single greatest source of instability” in the Middle East and threw his full support behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A meeting between the two in Jerusalem came as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — a militant group backed by Iran — lasted into a second month despite being tested to its limit this week.
Despite the fragile truce, Rubio said Hamas must be “eradicated” and praised President Donald Trump’s “bold” plans to take control of Gaza and displace Palestinians to other countries.
While hostage and prisoner exchanges, the future of the ceasefire, and the possibility of lasting peace have dominated recent discussions between the nations, Netanyahu told members of the press after the meeting that no issue was “more important than Iran.”
Rubio said in Jerusalem that Iran was “behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence” and “behind everything that threatens peace and stability.”
Iran has long funded militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Yemeni-based Houthi militants, though it is not behind other groups in the region such as Islamic State.
Its proxies have fueled conflicts across the region, while the nation is simultaneously advancing its missile program. Its leadership opposes Israel and the U.S.
While Iran has not yet pursued building a nuclear bomb, a 2023 report released by watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency also found the country had begun enriching uranium close to weapons-grade levels.
“We agreed that the ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons, and we also agreed that Iran’s aggression in the region has to be rolled back,” said Netanyahu, adding that Israel had “dealt a mighty blow” to Iran in the past year and a half.
In a string of setbacks for the country, Iran’s proxy forces in Lebanon and Gaza have been weakened by fighting Israel, while the swift collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime — which Tehran also supported — also represented a devastating defeat.
Netanyahu said that with U.S. support, “we can and will finish the job,” without elaborating on what that would mean in practice.
The pair also released a joint statement after the meeting insisting that Israel and the United States had a “shared strategy” regarding the future of Gaza, “including when the gates of hell will open.”
Hamas and the Iranian government did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, although Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told NBC News in an interview Tuesday that the militant group was committed to the ceasefire deal, to which “it adheres fully and not selectively as the Israeli side does.”
Responding to Trump’s earlier threat, Qassem added that Gaza was already “living in a state of hell.”
The comments appeared to reference Trump’s warning last week that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas did not release “all” the remaining hostages on Saturday.
As Hamas released three hostages on Saturday, he wrote on Truth Social that “Israel will now have to decide what they will do about the 12:00 O’CLOCK, TODAY, DEADLINE imposed on the release of ALL HOSTAGES,” adding that “the United States will back the decision they make!”
While Israel has maintained the ceasefire despite Trump’s deadline, the meeting in Jerusalem offered no clear messaging around the future of the deal or further conflict in Gaza.
Rubio said that Hamas “can not continue as a military or government force,” adding that the hostages “need to come home” without mentioning the second phase of the ongoing ceasefire, negotiations for which were meant to begin earlier this month.
