Marco Rubio

Chinese-American seismologist detained in China after North Korea nuclear test study publication

The case of Youlin Chen, reported here for the first time, adds an irritant to the tense relationship between the nuclear-armed rivals as Trump seeks to keep the relationship steady.

Dr. Yufang Rong and her husband Dr. Youlin Chen, an American seismologist held for nearly two years by China, pose together in this undated photograph provided on July 13, 2026.
US President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One as he departs Bismarck Municipal Airport on July 01, 2026 in Bismarck, North Dakota. Trump traveled to North Dakota to attend the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library dedication.

Trump administration launches campaign to dismantle ICC efforts to infringe on US sovereignty

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a trilateral meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (not pictured) on the sidelines of the NATO leaders' summit, in Ankara, Turkey, July 7, 2026.

‘Viceroy’ of Venezuela: Rubio runs Caracas with total deference from interim president - report

 Strait pf Hormuz: Iranian policeman?

Voices from the Arab press: Handing the Strait of Hormuz to Iran and the Gulf


Herzog addresses Romanian Parliament, thanks Trump, Rubio for Israel-Lebanon deal

President Isaac Herzog addressed the joint plenary of the Romanian Parliament during his state visit to the country on Monday.

President Isaac Herzog addresses the joint plenary of the Romanian Parliament on June 29, 2026.

Rubio, eastern Libya General Saddam Haftar discuss unifying country’s military, economy, politics

Discussions between Rubio and Haftar focused on strengthening strategic partnerships and creating conditions for a democratically elected government in Libya.

(From L-R) US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos, Libyan National Army Deputy Commander Lt.-Gen. Saddam Haftar, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in Washington, June 29, 2026.

Democratic House Leader Jeffries says ‘full unclassified briefing’ on US-Iran talks necessary

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a press conference on Monday that he hopes a briefing on the war would happen “sooner rather than later.”

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks at an unveiling ceremony for the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, June 24, 2026.

Witkoff, Rubio brief Congress in first-ever meeting since signing of US-Iran MoU

Bipartisan lawmakers pressed the administration officials on issues such as lifting sanctions on Iran and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner meet with a Ukrainian delegation in Hallandale Beach, Florida, US, November 30, 2025.

House urges Trump to halt F-35 sale to Turkey over Israel partnership, Russian intel. concerns

"Hardly a day goes by that Erdogan doesn't call for the destruction of the State of Israel... we will also draw the attention of our American friends to these statements," Netanyahu said.

 U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gesture as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025.

Marco Rubio just got Lebanon to do something it hadn't done since 1983 - comment

Rubio, one of the most genuinely pro-Israel figures around US President Donald Trump, pushed a grinding, thankless process across the line when most of us assumed it would collapse.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio waves as he boards a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft after his visit to the Middle East to discuss the interim deal between the US and Iran with Arab Gulf allies, in Manama on June 25, 2026.

US-Israel-Lebanon sign trilateral framework agreement aimed at dismantling Hezbollah

The agreement outlines a structured process for disarming Hezbollah, dismantling terrorist infrastructure, and enabling the IDF to withdraw from Lebanon once the threat posed by Hezbollah is removed.

Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter speaks next to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, State Department Counselor Daniel Holler, and Lebanon's Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh during a meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC, US, June 26, 2026.

Iran reasserts its right to control shipping in Strait of Hormuz after ship hit near Oman

Tehran reasserted its claim over the Strait of Hormuz and warned Gulf states after a joint US-Gulf statement rejected Iranian toll demands, while reports said tankers were turned back by the IRGC.

 IRAN-US-ISRAEL-WAR-TRANSPORT-HORMUZ In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 18, 2026, vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance, Rubio split on Iran war, Israel in Lebanon, as White House denies divergence - analysis

The contrast suggests that, even as the administration has emphasized unity, differing worldviews are at times rising to the surface, offering an early glimpse of the Republican Party’s future.

US VICE President JD Vance and US President Donald Trump listen to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speak during a meeting with Lebanon Ambassador to the US and Israel Ambassador to the US, at the White House in Washington, DC on April 23, 2026.

US approves potential $250 million fighter jet sale with Australia, says no impact on readiness

"It is vital to the US national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability," the statement said.

Carrier Air Wing 1 conducts routine flight operations from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, February 1, 2025; illustrative.