Iran misreading US political system by waiting for midterms: Rubio

Iran is misreading the US political system if it believes the November midterm elections could restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to act against Tehran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.

“I think the Iranians are under this illusion that Democrats are going to win in November, and the president will no longer be able to do things against them,” Rubio told reporters in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Rubio said Tehran appeared not to understand the division of powers in the US, arguing that while Congress plays an important role, the president retains extensive authority over national security matters.

“When it comes to the national security of our country, when it comes to the imposition of both sanctions and the use of military force, the president has extraordinary powers,” he said, pointing to Trump’s constitutional role as commander-in-chief.

His remarks came one day after Trump said he believed Washington would reach an agreement with Iran following the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,” Trump told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, claiming Iranian leaders were waiting to see how his Republican Party performed in the vote.

Rubio said the outcome of the elections would not change Trump’s approach, describing Iran’s nuclear program as a national security issue rather than a matter of domestic politics.

“For him, the Iranian issue is not a political issue,” he said.

Rubio argued that US presidents and most countries had agreed for nearly five decades that Iran must not acquire a nuclear weapon but had repeatedly failed to take sufficient action.

Trump, he said, was prepared to act despite the associated costs because the consequences of failing to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran would be “substantially higher,” particularly for future generations.