US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday dismissed reports suggesting Pakistan had conveyed a message from Iran warning of a possible nuclear demonstration if the ongoing tensions in the region escalated further.
The issue surfaced during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee when Republican Congressman Scott Perry referred to media reports claiming Pakistan’s foreign minister had personally communicated such a message to the Trump administration.
The exchange comes at a sensitive moment as Washington continues to navigate its approach towards Iran following months of military tensions and parallel diplomatic efforts aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme. Questions over Iran’s capabilities and intentions remain central to the debate in Washington.
Raising the matter during the hearing, Perry asked Rubio whether Pakistan’s foreign minister had directly informed him that Iran was prepared to demonstrate a nuclear weapon should the current escalation continue.
Rubio flatly denied being aware of any such communication.
“I’ve not seen that reporting, and I’m not aware of any such message,” the Secretary of State said.
Perry followed up by referring again to reports circulating in the public domain. Rubio maintained that no such message had reached him.
“I would be surprised if that message had been relayed. I would be aware of it if it was,” he said.
Rubio responds to hypothetical Iran nuclear threat
The hearing later turned to a broader discussion on how the administration would respond if Iran threatened to demonstrate or test a nuclear capability in the event diplomatic efforts broke down.
Responding to the hypothetical scenario, Rubio said such a move would only reinforce existing concerns about Tehran’s intentions.
“I think it would confirm everything we believe about them anyway,” he said.
He added that any such development would likely compel the President to weigh further courses of action.
“I think the President then would have to pursue, or at least have to consider, various other options that are available to him in that context,” Rubio said.