Rubio downplays Russian aid to Iran amid war: ‘Nothing’ impeding US objectives

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday downplayed a New York Times report about Russian aid going to Iran, saying that “noting” has impeded U.S. objectives against Iran.

“Obviously, Russia has their own hands full with Ukraine and that effort there,” Rubio told Fox News’s Brian Kilmeade in an interview . “But I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: nothing that anyone is providing Iran is in any way impeding our ability to act as necessary to protect the United States.”

Kilmeade read part of the Times report, which quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Kyrgyzstan, when he said Russia is “trying to provide you with the assistance you need. We have discussed this with you and are supplying you with the necessary goods.”

“It seems as though they’re giving satellite coordinates to help kill our people, but now we have the Russians saying directly, ‘We’re helping you out,'” Kilmeade told the secretary.

Rubio replied that “in the case, unfortunately, of Iran, we’re not aligned with the Russians and the Russian system in terms of their view of the situation.”

“Putin’s got his own set of problems that I think take up the majority of his time and focus, which is the war with Ukraine and, frankly, the impacts that these Ukrainian strikes are having on the Russian economy in combination with sanctions,” Rubio later said.

The U.S. and Iran resumed exchanging fire in recent days, amid the Trump administration’s attempts to economically cripple the Iranian economy. President Trump said Tuesday that he is not looking to bring Iran back to the negotiating table after six months of conflict.

The Trump administration has urged other nations to sever their financial ties to Iran as part of Operation Economic Outcast , comparing it to the U.S. invasion of Normandy in World War II by nicknaming it “economic D-Day.”

Putin has reaffirmed Russia’s close ties with Iran, pledging in April to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to work together as the war dragged on. He asked Araghchi to convey to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei his “best wishes for his health and well-being.”

Russia has also won some key points as the U.S. fights Iran. Iran’s shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz put a premium on Russia’s oil supply, as the strait allows the passage of one-fifth of the world’s oil out of the Middle East. U.S. weapons that would go toward Ukraine in fighting Russia have been prioritized for the Iran war, leaving a gap in aid to provide to Kyiv.