Rubio continues to drop soundbite gems.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is defending U.S. Navy actions after Iranian forces fired on American destroyers in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio says the U.S. response was purely defensive, stating, “only stupid countries don’t shoot back when you’re shot at.”
“What you saw yesterday was U.S. destroyers moving through international waters, being fired upon by the Iranians. And the US responded defensively to protect itself. That’s what you saw.”
“Of course, we fired back at them. They were shooting at us. That’s what I would expect to do.”
The comments come during a fragile ceasefire following the conclusion of the main U.S. offensive phase against Iran, with Rubio framing current operations as limited to protecting shipping lanes.
Watch the clip below:
"Only stupid countries don't shoot back when you're shot at. And we're not a stupid country."
Rubio doubles down on U.S. military action defending itself against Iranian strikes on American vessels:
"What you saw yesterday was U.S. destroyers moving through international… pic.twitter.com/tcGQpXRJso
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 8, 2026
Rubio also blasted NATO allies for denying the U.S. access to key military bases during the conflict in Iran.
NEW: Marco Rubio calls out NATO countries who denied the United States access to key bases in order to carry out military missions:
"We had a contingency. And some countries in Europe, some countries in Europe, like Spain, as an example, denied us the use of those bases for a… pic.twitter.com/N0RYxVecFW
— Fox News (@FoxNews) May 8, 2026
