Rubio reassures Gulf allies on Iran deal, drawing subtle contrast with Trump and Vance

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is working to ease Middle Eastern nations' concerns over US-Iran negotiations while striking a subtly different tone from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Where Trump and Vance have emphasized a conciliatory approach toward a deal with Iran, Rubio has maintained a harder line.

The Washington Post assessed Thursday (local time) that Rubio's visit to Manama, Bahrain, and his meetings with Gulf foreign ministers were aimed at reassuring Middle Eastern countries that feel sidelined by the US-Iran negotiating process.

Middle Eastern nations are concerned that the negotiations may fail to adequately address Iran's ballistic missile and drone capabilities, as well as its support for proxy forces such as Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Dania Taefer, secretary-general of the Gulf International Forum, a Washington think tank, said the current situation is more unstable than before the war. "The countries of the region have never sustained attacks of this scale before, and every red line that existed has been crossed," she said.

Rubio told his counterparts at the meeting that "nothing in this agreement will be pursued in a way that undermines the security, stability and prosperity of our Gulf partners," adding that he was grateful for an alliance that extends beyond security into the economic sphere.

In a joint statement with Gulf Cooperation Council member states following the talks, Rubio stressed that "for sustainable regional peace and security, Iran's ballistic missiles and drones, and its support for regional proxy forces, must also be addressed." On the Strait of Hormuz, he said the US "rejects any attempt to impose tolls, fees or control" over the waterway.

As US-Iran nuclear negotiations continue, Rubio's remarks have been seen as revealing a subtle divergence from the positions of Trump and Vance on Iran and broader Middle East issues. CNN noted that Vance — frequently mentioned as a potential future Republican presidential candidate — and Rubio have expressed notably different views on Iran.

CNN reported that while Rubio focused on reassuring Gulf states during his Middle East tour, he "maintained a more cautious and firm stance on the substance of the agreement and the peace process, rather than actively championing the controversial memorandum of understanding."

The sharpest difference lies in how each official views Iran's leadership. During his visit to Bahrain, Rubio described Iran's government as being "run by radical clerics — it was that way before and it remains that way now," characterizing the country's leadership as religious fanatics. CNN noted this stands in contrast to remarks Trump and Vance made just a week earlier, when both suggested Iran's leadership could change and struck a comparatively conciliatory tone.

Differences also emerged over how to handle Iran's ballistic missile program.

While Trump had said Iran should be allowed to possess some missiles because "other countries have missiles too," Rubio reaffirmed at talks in Kuwait his commitment to protecting Gulf states from Iranian missile and drone threats.

Rubio's position also diverged on how to respond to Iran's proxy forces, including Hezbollah and Hamas. Although the memorandum of understanding does not explicitly require Iran to halt support for its proxies, Rubio argued that a clause stating that "the United States, Iran and their respective allies shall cease hostilities and the use of force" in effect prohibits such support as well.

"As long as Iran's proxies continue launching missiles and drones from Iraq and carrying out terrorist activities like Hezbollah and Hamas, hostilities in the Middle East cannot end," Rubio said. "If you read the MOU carefully, this issue is covered."

Interpretations of the Lebanon situation also diverged. Rubio said the ongoing clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon are a separate matter from the US-Iran peace negotiations, adding that "Lebanon is a sovereign state, and the United States will negotiate directly with the Lebanese government." Vance, by contrast, said at a White House briefing that the MOU applies to both Hezbollah and Israel, stressing that "Hezbollah must stop its missile and drone attacks, and Israel must not expand its military operations in Lebanon — both sides must abide by the agreement."

CNN said that while Rubio appears to be playing a role in easing concerns within the Republican Party, "it remains unclear whether his explanations fully align with the Trump administration's actual official position," adding that "the more he speaks publicly, the more the subtle differences in perspective between him and President Trump and Vice President Vance over the Iran deal are coming into focus."