AJ
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Piers Morgan in more detail about both Iran and Cuba on February 14.
In terms of Iran, Rubio said: “If the Ayatollah said tomorrow that he wanted to meet with Trump, Trump would meet with him,” noting that it was not because Trump agreed with the Ayatollah, but “because he thinks that is the way you solve problems in the world – Trump does not view meeting someone as a concession.”
Rubio continued: “I think it’s pretty clear that Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, as that poses a threat not just to the United States but also to Europe, to world security, and to the region – there’s no doubt about it.
“We obviously want to have forces in the region because Iran has shown the willingness and the capability to lash and strike out at the United States’ presence in the region,” stated Rubio, adding: “President Trump’s preference is to reach a deal with Iran, it’s very hard to do, but he’s going to try – we’ll have to see if we can make any progress.”
When questioned about Cuba, Rubio said: “The fundamental problem Cuba has is that it has no economy, and the people who are in charge of that country and in control of it don’t know how to improve the everyday lives of their people without giving up power of the sectors they control.”
Rubio continued: “They want to control everything – they don’t want the people of Cuba to control anything – so they don’t know how to get themselves out of this,” noting that it goes to the extent where “they’ve been offered opportunities to do so, they don’t seem able to comprehend or accept them in any way.”
According to Rubio: “They would much rather be in charge of a dying country than allow it to prosper, noting that: “This is a regime that has survived almost entirely on subsidies – first from the USSR, then from Hugo Chavez, and for the first time it has no subsidies coming from anyone.”
