Secretary of State Marco Rubio will testify before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday in back-to-back hearings that will test both his defense of the Trump administration's Iran strategy and his political standing within his own party. The hearings come as the ceasefire signed in mid-April continues to fracture, with fresh rounds of fighting over the weekend and Iran announcing it has suspended peace talks with the United States.
Rubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday, then return Wednesday for hearings before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Appropriations subcommittee. While the sessions are nominally about the State Department's budget request, lawmakers from both parties are expected to press him on the stalled negotiations to end the war and the astronomical costs of the conflict.
The timing of Rubio's testimony is particularly fraught. Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Tom Barrett of Michigan have joined Democrats in voting to curtail the president's war powers. The Senate advanced legislation last month for the first time that would have forced Trump to withdraw from the conflict, with GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voting with Democrats after Trump endorsed his primary opponent.
Iran announced Monday that it is halting indirect negotiations with the United States, citing what it views as American and Israeli violations of the ceasefire. Mohammad Jafar Assadi, deputy head of Iran's central military command, declared that "the United States demands our total surrender, and the Iranian nation will never surrender. Without surrender, war is inevitable."
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Tehran was suspending "talks and the exchange of texts through a mediator" given the "continuation of the Zionist regime's crimes in Lebanon." Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated that "a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any deal aimed at ending the war" and that the U.S. and Israel "are responsible for the consequences of any violation."
The breakdown centers on Israel's deepening military offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy. Israeli forces seized the medieval Beaufort Castle on Sunday, marking the deepest ground invasion into Lebanon in two decades. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on what he called Hezbollah's "terror headquarters" in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, and the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings to residents. At least 3,433 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, according to the Lebanese health ministry, with at least 10,395 wounded.
President Trump has sent contradictory signals about his commitment to ending the war. On Monday, Trump told CNBC that he "couldn't care less" if talks were over. "I don't care if they're over, honestly. I really don't care. They started to get very boring," he said. Yet hours earlier, he posted on Truth Social that "Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A."
Trump told mediators to make "somewhat significant changes" to the draft memorandum of understanding being negotiated with Iran, according to sources. The deal would also potentially include sanctions relief allowing Iran to access billions in frozen assets, depending on the progress of diplomacy.
Rep. Darrell Issa of California said Sunday it could take a "very long time" for the U.S. to secure a deal to end the war. Mediators led by Pakistan are handling the back-and-forth between Washington and Tehran, with limited details of each exchange made public.
Despite Trump's announcement Monday that both sides had agreed to halt fighting, Hezbollah claimed multiple attacks on Israeli targets in southern Lebanon, including a rocket attack on an Israeli tank early Tuesday in Hadatha. The Israeli military said it intercepted two projectiles from Lebanon without casualties.
Trump said Netanyahu "turned his troops around" after a phone call in which the president asked him not to raid Beirut. Netanyahu, however, said he had ordered Israeli forces to continue operating in southern Lebanon as planned and threatened to strike Beirut if Hezbollah did not stop attacking Israel. The Israeli military has suffered 26 deaths in the fighting with Hezbollah, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Iran has escalated its threats beyond Lebanon. Iran's Tasnim news agency said the regime has instructed its Houthi allies in Yemen to attack the Bab el-Mandeb strait, another critical shipping chokepoint. Around 14 percent of global maritime trade passes through the waterway in peacetime. The U.S. military has redirected 121 commercial vessels since the start of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and vessels, and has disabled another five ships "to ensure compliance," according to U.S. Central Command.
The war has already disrupted global energy markets. Oil prices have climbed well above their pre-war level of roughly $70 per barrel, with Brent crude rising 4.2 percent to $94.98 on Monday and reaching $97.47 by the end of the day. The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime, has been partially blocked by Iranian actions.
Smaller companies have been hit particularly hard by higher borrowing costs. The Russell 2000 index of the smallest U.S. stocks fell 0.5 percent Monday, while United Airlines lost 2.6 percent and Alaska Air Group fell 3.3 percent as fuel costs climbed.
Yet Wall Street has held relatively steady, with the S&P 500 adding 0.3 percent to its prior all-time high and the Nasdaq composite climbing 0.4 percent, both setting records. Market participants appear to retain hope that the U.S. and Iran will ultimately reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease upward pressure on inflation.
The growing Republican skepticism over the war reflects concerns about both its financial burden and its political consequences heading into midterm elections. The war has cut tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, spiking gas prices that directly affect household budgets and inflation.
The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, but GOP leadership kept it from coming to the floor after it became clear the majority party would not have the numbers to defeat it. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, a Republican with hawkish views, has nonetheless urged Trump to continue the campaign, writing in late May that "our commander in chief needs to allow America's skilled armed forces to finish the destruction of Iran's conventional military capabilities and reopen the strait."
Rubio's testimony will likely force him to defend Trump's shifting approach to the conflict while acknowledging the administration's stated preference for a negotiated deal. The secretary has said the Trump administration prefers a negotiated settlement but that "other options" remain available if diplomacy fails. Whether he can convince Congress that a deal is imminent remains unclear, particularly as Iran has now suspended talks and fighting continues to spread across the region.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will testify before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday in back-to-back hearings that will test both his defense of the Trump administration's Iran strategy and his political standing within his own party. The hearings come as the fragile ceasefire that began in early April continues to fracture, with fresh rounds of fighting over the weekend and Iran announcing it has suspended peace talks with the United States.
Rubio will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday, then return Wednesday for hearings before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Senate Appropriations subcommittee. While the sessions are nominally about the State Department's budget request, lawmakers from both parties are expected to press him on the stalled negotiations to end the war and the astronomical costs of the conflict.
The timing of Rubio's testimony is particularly fraught. A growing faction of Republicans has joined Democrats in questioning the war's price tag and consequences as midterm elections approach in the fall. In the House, Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Tom Barrett of Michigan have already voted to curtail the president's war powers, joining Democrats on war powers resolutions. The Senate advanced legislation last month for the first time that would have forced Trump to withdraw from the conflict, with GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voting with Democrats after Trump endorsed his primary opponent.
Iran announced Monday that it is halting indirect negotiations with the United States, citing what it views as American and Israeli violations of the ceasefire. Mohammad Jafar Assadi, deputy head of Iran's central military command, declared that "the United States demands our total surrender, and the Iranian nation will never surrender. Without surrender, war is inevitable."
Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Tehran was suspending "talks and the exchange of texts through a mediator" given the "continuation of the Zionist regime's crimes in Lebanon." Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated that "a ceasefire in Lebanon is an essential condition for any deal aimed at ending the war" and that the U.S. and Israel "are responsible for the consequences of any violation."
The breakdown centers on Israel's deepening military offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy. Israeli forces seized the medieval Beaufort Castle on Sunday, marking the deepest ground invasion into Lebanon in two decades. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered strikes on what he called Hezbollah's "terror headquarters" in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, and the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings to residents. At least 3,433 people have been killed in Lebanon since the war between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, according to the Lebanese health ministry, with at least 10,395 wounded.
President Trump has sent contradictory signals about his commitment to ending the war. On Monday, Trump told CNBC that he "couldn't care less" if talks were over. "I don't care if they're over, honestly. I really don't care. They started to get very boring," he said. Yet hours earlier, he posted on Truth Social that "Iran really wants to make a deal, and it will be a good one for the U.S.A."
Trump told mediators to make "somewhat significant changes" to the draft memorandum of understanding being negotiated with Iran, according to sources. The broad strokes of the agreement include a 60-day cessation of violence, reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a framework for negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. The deal would also potentially include sanctions relief allowing Iran to access billions in frozen assets, depending on the progress of diplomacy.
Rep. Darrell Issa of California said Sunday it could take a "very long time" for the U.S. to secure a deal to end the war. Mediators led by Pakistan are handling the back-and-forth between Washington and Tehran, with limited details of each exchange made public.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah signed in mid-April has become increasingly fragile. Despite Trump's announcement Monday that both sides had agreed to halt fighting, Hezbollah claimed multiple attacks on Israeli targets in southern Lebanon, including a rocket attack on an Israeli tank early Tuesday in Hadatha. The Israeli military said it intercepted two projectiles from Lebanon without casualties.
Trump said Netanyahu "turned his troops around" after a phone call in which the president asked him not to raid Beirut. Netanyahu, however, said he had ordered Israeli forces to continue operating in southern Lebanon as planned and threatened to strike Beirut if Hezbollah did not stop attacking Israel. The Israeli military has suffered 26 deaths in the fighting with Hezbollah, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Iran has escalated its threats beyond Lebanon. Iran's Tasnim news agency said the regime has instructed its Houthi allies in Yemen to attack the Bab el-Mandeb strait, another critical shipping chokepoint. Around 14 percent of global maritime trade passes through the waterway in peacetime. The U.S. military has redirected 121 commercial vessels since the start of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports and vessels, and has disabled another five ships "to ensure compliance," according to U.S. Central Command.
The war has already disrupted global energy markets. Oil prices have climbed well above their pre-war level of roughly $70 per barrel, with Brent crude rising 4.2 percent to $94.98 on Monday and reaching $97.47 by the end of the day. The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime, has been partially blocked by Iranian actions.
The higher oil prices have sent inflation rising globally and increased bond yields, threatening to slow economies and undercut investment returns. Smaller companies have been hit particularly hard by higher borrowing costs. The Russell 2000 index of the smallest U.S. stocks fell 0.5 percent Monday, while United Airlines lost 2.6 percent and Alaska Air Group fell 3.3 percent as fuel costs climbed.
Yet Wall Street has held relatively steady, with the S&P 500 adding 0.3 percent to its prior all-time high and the Nasdaq composite climbing 0.4 percent, both setting records. Market participants appear to retain hope that the U.S. and Iran will ultimately reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and ease upward pressure on inflation.
The growing Republican skepticism over the war reflects concerns about both its financial burden and its political consequences heading into midterm elections. The war has cut tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, spiking gas prices that directly affect household budgets and inflation.
The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, but GOP leadership kept it from coming to the floor after it became clear the majority party would not have the numbers to defeat it. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, a Republican with hawkish views, has nonetheless urged Trump to continue the campaign, writing in late May that "our commander in chief needs to allow America's skilled armed forces to finish the destruction of Iran's conventional military capabilities and reopen the strait."
Rubio's testimony will likely force him to defend Trump's shifting approach to the conflict while acknowledging the administration's stated preference for a negotiated deal. The secretary has said the Trump administration prefers a negotiated settlement but that "other options" remain available if diplomacy fails. Whether he can convince Congress that a deal is imminent remains unclear, particularly as Iran has now suspended talks and fighting continues to spread across the region.
Highlighted text was flagged by the council. Tap to see feedback.
