Rubio Vows Vatican Cooperation in Fence-Mending Trip to Italy

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would maintain military pressure on Iran and vowed to continue working with the Vatican, capping a two-day trip meant to shore up ties after a recent spat with Pope Leo XIV.

“The president’s perspective is clear, he thinks that Iran is a threat and it needs to be addressed, and that position remains unchanged,” Rubio told reporters in Rome Friday after meeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “We’re capable of having that position and expressing that position clearly, and also working cooperatively, as we have for decades, with the Vatican and with the Catholic church, who has a global presence.”