The Secretary of State Marco Rubio published a video on Monday on the official account of the State Department, in which he drew a clear line between the Iranian people and the clerical regime that governs them, amid the ongoing negotiations following the start of Operation Epic Fury.
"The people of Iran are an incredible people. Those who lead them, this clerical regime, that's the problem," Rubio stated in the recording."
The Secretary of State opened the door to a possible understanding if the new Iranian leadership adopts a different stance: "If there are new people in charge with a more reasonable vision for the future, that would be good news for us, for them, for the whole world."
However, Rubio warned that Washington must be prepared for the possibility, perhaps even the likelihood, that this may not be the case.
In the same video, the Secretary of State criticized the regime's priorities in Tehran compared to its own population: "Imagine if in Iran, instead of spending their wealth on billions of dollars supporting terrorists or weapons, they had spent that money helping the Iranian people," he pointed out, in a country where more than 30 million people live in poverty.
The statements occur in the context of the Epic Fury Operation, the joint military campaign of the United States and Israel launched on February 28, 2026, which began with the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran.
The Pentagon reported that the operation has destroyed 90% of Iranian missiles and 95% of their drones, in addition to eliminating 49 high-ranking officials and military leaders of the regime.
On March 8, the Iranian Assembly of Experts elected Mojtaba Jamenei, the son of the late supreme leader, as his successor, although he was injured in the same attack that killed his father and is currently unaccounted for.
This Monday, President Donald Trump stated that he is negotiating with "a new and more reasonable regime" in Iran and that "great progress" has been made, although he renewed his threat to destroy power plants, oil wells, and the island of Kharg if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened by April 6.
Negotiations are being conducted indirectly, through intermediaries such as Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan, as many Iranian officials avoid using the phone for fear of being tracked.
Rubio reported during the G7 meeting in France, held on March 26 and 27, that the war with Iran would continue for another two to four weeks, and that two Iranian officials have expressed interest in negotiating with the United States, although they lack authorization from the higher leadership to proceed.
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