QUESTION: Secretary, thank you for the time today.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you.

QUESTION: First, I’d like to ask you about the Iran situation. ASEAN countries have expressed concern about the situation in the Middle East, and recently U.S. has been carrying out attacks on Iran for more than 10 days. Do you believe that these attack can change Iran’s negotiation position?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, right now their negotiating position is they’re begging to make a deal. They constantly are reaching out saying they want to do a deal. But every time they make a deal, these guys either change their mind or violate the deal. And so they’re going to pay a price for that, and they’re going to – and the price is going to get higher every night. I mean, every day that goes by, they’re going to pay a higher and higher price. They don’t seem yet to realize that they have to make a deal or they’re going to face catastrophic collapse of their economy. But maybe they’ll be ready in a few days, but right now I can tell you that I don’t see a lot of promise in talking to them, because they don’t know how to make a deal or they’re not ready to make a deal. And it’s unfortunate; it’s unfortunate.

But what’s not going to happen is that they control the Straits of Hormuz and decide who goes through and who doesn’t go through, and I think the world should unite on that point. And every country in the world should be calling Iran and saying: you can’t do this or we’re also going to come after you. Because what they’re basically saying is they’re going to hold the world hostage, and we’re going to do everything we are doing to punish them for it. And they’re going to pay a big price.

QUESTION: I’d like to ask about the Houthis in Yemen.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah.

QUESTION: They have claimed responsibility for attacking Saudi oil tankers. What’s your reaction?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Again, it’s part of the same – I mean, the Houthis are a proxy in many ways of the Iranians. Now, they were smart, they stayed out of this for a long period of time, but the Iranians were – figured out a way to sort of rope them into it by getting them into a renewed conflict with Saudi – Saudi Arabia. And so now they’re – it’s the same thing. I mean, if you think about it, it’s not surprising, because it’s the same tactics that we’ve seen the Iranians play out. I think the Houthis should wake up and realize that they shouldn’t be dragged into this – it could lead to their demise – and find a way to extricate themselves from Iran’s plots on this stuff.

QUESTION: It’s been five months since the war with Iran started. Do you have any regrets about U.S. starting this war? To end this war, what is the most important thing?

SECRETARY RUBIO: The only regret we were going to have is if Iran ever had a nuclear weapon, and that’s what they were aiming to have. And they were – they were going to hide behind tens of thousands of missiles and drones, which is what they were going to produce, what they were on scale to produce. A year from now, they could have had 15,000 mid-range missiles and 20,000 drones, and at that point they could have overwhelmed any defense system, and then they could do whatever they wanted with their nuclear program.

So we had reached a point where we had to address that, or they would have had a shield that they could have hide – were going to hide behind that conventional shield to pursue their nuclear program. And unfortunately, other presidents in the past have failed to address this threat, but President Trump did. And like – when you address things like this, there is a price to pay, but they’re going to pay a heavier – much heavier price.

QUESTION: So no regret by U.S. side?

SECRETARY RUBIO: The only regret is maybe we should have done it earlier before they – it could have been done earlier. But at least the President took action that other presidents didn’t do.

QUESTION: Japan also imports a lot of oil from the Middle East. What role do you expect Japan to play in helping to end this current situation?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, look, I think Japan has the Naval capabilities and others, and I think – not just Japan, but there’s a lot of countries that rely on the straits and should be outraged and troubled by the fact that Iran is sinking and – not sinking, but targeting ships that are transiting with fuel. A lot of countries should be concerned about that.

By the same token, I expect Japan is doing what they’re doing now, which is they are changing where they’re getting their energy from. And increasingly, they’re going to get less from the Middle East and more from us and other places, and that’s already happening all over the world, because this has been a very unstable part of the world for a very long time. And so – but that takes time; there’s an adjustment period that comes with it.

And we’re obviously going to do everything we can to help Japan, because Japan is a very close and important ally of the United States. We are already selling them more oil and natural gas than at any time in history. And we – there’s more that we can provide, which is an alternative to – and I think a much more stable alternative than buying it from the Middle East.

QUESTION: I’d like to ask about China-Japan relationship. Yesterday, you expressed concern about the current state of Japan and China relationship. What kind of relationship between Japan and China would you like to see?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I – look, I’m concerned because the rhetoric from Beijing is very aggressive, and it seems to be particularly focused on Japan. Japan is an ally of the United States. It’s a country that we work very closely with. It’s a country we’ve been aligned with for a very long time now, and so that’s concerning to see that. That’s – but by the same token, we think one of the best ways to prevent conflict is deterrence. And the best way to have deterrence is to continue to build out our relationship.

And that – I’m also concerned, by the way – it’s not just military threats; it’s economics. Right now, Japan is being – so are we; so are other countries – but China has weaponized access to critical minerals and supply chains, and are using it against Japan perhaps more than any other country in the world. So I think that is why a partnership between the U.S., Japan, and others – we have the Quad that’s talked about this. We also had a meeting between Japan, South Korea, and the United States, and many countries around the world that I think all have an interest in diversifying our supply chains so we can never be held hostage again in the future by anybody.

QUESTION: You have said that you want President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States in September to be a positive one. Does that mean there will be no approval of arms sale to Taiwan before his visit?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, I don’t think the arms sales and the visit are related. The arms sales, we just conducted the largest single arms sales in history to Taiwan back in December. Like any arms sales, we can’t sell – we can only sell weapons that we have. We have our own needs that we have to meet first. And so that arms sales to Japan is under review simply because we have production requirements for our own forces. Before we can sell things, we need to make sure we have enough for ourselves.

But I would say on the visit in general, look, China and the United States are the two largest economies in the world. Both are nuclear weapon powers. Both have growing powerful militaries – in the case of China – the most powerful military in the world in the case of the United States. So we have to have a relationship with China; we have to be able to communicate. And in areas where we can cooperate, we need to and should.

There will also be areas of disagreement. We know that; the Chinese recognize that as well. And those need to be managed, because any sort of dispute, be it economic or otherwise, between two great powers has the ability to dramatically, negatively influence other countries and have an impact on other countries. So we want to see stability and we want to see peace and we want to see prosperity. We don’t want to see the Indo-Pacific become a place of conflict. And so we want to manage that relationship and have positive interactions with them.

But we also recognize that we have big differences with Beijing, and those are things that we need to talk about and try to manage and ensure that they never devolve into some conflict. But there are areas where I think we’re going to have continued differences, and particularly when it comes to matters of trade and matters of freedom of navigation.

QUESTION: Is the success of Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States one of your top priorities right now?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Is what? Is —

QUESTION: Is the success of —

SECRETARY RUBIO: No – it’s an important – I mean, we have a lot of priorities. I mean, our number one priority is always the national interest of the United States, but it’s an important visit. We visited there earlier this year; he’s reciprocating with his visit. Now look, any time the leaders of the two most powerful countries and economies in the world are meeting, that’s a relevant meeting. And we want it to be a successful meeting, meaning we want – to the extent that we can have some deliverables from it that are good, we want that to happen. But by the same token, we’re not going to walk away from our commitments to our partners in the region. And on that point, we’ve been very clear.

QUESTION: Are you sure that U.S. policy on Taiwan never change?

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, the U.S. policy towards Taiwan was reiterated during our visit to Beijing and remains unchanged.

QUESTION: You have midterm election in November, and gas price is still quite high. Do you believe the war with Iran will end before the election?

SECRETARY RUBIO: I don’t know. I mean, ultimately a lot of that depends on whether Iran comes to its senses. But I don’t think the war in Iran is in and of itself going to be the determinant of an election. As the Secretary of State of the United States, I’m prohibited by rule and law to be participating in our politics. So I’m not involved in the midterm elections because I can’t, but obviously we are aware of them and we understand there are many factors that are going to play.

The good news is the United States is now one of the world’s largest energy suppliers. We are not dependent on the Middle East for our oil. We can produce not only for ourselves but to export for our partners as well. That’s the good news, and I think it’s allowed us to sort of manage and stabilize it in ways that – I know other countries have not had that luxury, but we have. And so I think that in the end, those elections will be decided by many, many factors.

But fortunately, while energy will be a factor and it’s certainly more expensive than we would like it to be, the U.S. doesn’t have to face energy insecurity. We can provide for ourselves and for others. We have enough for ourselves and also to export.

QUESTION: I’d like to ask about the MOU with Iran. It doesn’t appear to be functioning, not right now. So in future, I don’t know, through their diplomatic negotiation, will it be that necessary to establish the new MOU, or would you prefer to return to the —

SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, look, the problem with the MOU is they agreed to it and then didn’t keep it, right? The MOU is very clear. You’re not supposed to be shooting at ships in the Straits of Hormuz, and yet that’s what they’ve decided to do. We complied with our – we lifted the blockade; we lifted the sanctions. Some of the sanctions we issued waivers for the oil, and they in turn decided, despite that, that they were going to shoot at ships. So they violated the MOU and killed it.

QUESTION: Okay. Lastly, you’re currently serving as Secretary of the State. I don’t know in future, in some day, would you like to visit Japan as the President of the United States?

SECRETARY RUBIO: (Laughter.) No – I mean, I’d love to visit Japan. I don’t know what capacity, but I’m just focused on this job. This job – I know I’m going to have this job, I have it now, there’s a lot of work to do, and I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about that stuff. You never know what the future holds, but we’re not planning on anything other than doing a good job as Secretary of State and coming back to Japan as many times as I can.

QUESTION: Thank you so much.

SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you.

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In a historic action to degrade narco-terrorism, the United States is sanctioning over 50 Mexican individuals and entities linked to Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) – striking at critical leadership of one of the most violent and dangerous narco-terrorist organizations in our Hemisphere.

These sanctions disrupt a wide range of CJNG’s criminal and terrorist activities across a number of Mexican states.  Today’s action also targets Juan Carlos González, a.k.a. “Pelón,” a dual U.S.-Mexican national and the new leader of CJNG.  The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) continues to offer a reward under the Narcotics Rewards Program of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest and/or conviction.  Pelón’s days of operating with impunity are numbered; he will be brought to justice.

Last year, the Trump Administration took decisive action, designating CJNG as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and recognizing it for what it is:  a violent terrorist enterprise that poisons American communities with fentanyl, extorts victims, traffics illegal immigrants, and defrauds Americans through timeshare scams.  This is a warning to all CJNG’s leaders, financiers, and anyone who funds or does business with them: Under President Trump’s leadership and resolve, the United States is coming for you, your money, and your criminal networks wherever you hide.  Your time terrorizing the American people is coming to an end.

Today’s action was taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14059, which targets the proliferation of illicit drugs and their means of production, and E.O. 13224, as amended, which targets terrorists and their supporters. 

For more information about today’s sanctions, please see the Department of the Treasury’s press release.

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and Hamas direct front organizations that move funds across jurisdictions to support terrorism.  Today, the United States is addressing this threat by designating a senior UK-based Egyptian MB official and three individuals and three entities, all resident outside Egypt, that have provided material support to Hamas.

Today’s action exposes the Muslim Brotherhood affiliates and Hamas‑directed front organizations that use charitable facades and underground networks to disguise and move funds in support of terrorism.  The United States is committed to dismantling the financial infrastructure that sustains Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, as described in the United State Counterterrorism Strategy.

Today’s action is being taken pursuant to the counterterrorism authority, Executive Order 13224, as amended.  For more information on today’s action, see the Department of the Treasury’s press release.

Today, the Department of State is designating nine entities and two individuals to continue to limit the Cuban regime’s access to illicit funds, including those gained through the exploitation of medical workers and sanctions evasion efforts.

All targets sanctioned today have been designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 14404, which authorizes sanctions on persons determined to meet specified criteria related to repression in Cuba and other threats to U.S. national security and foreign policy.  

Sustaining the Regime’s Energy Sector

Pursuant to Section 2(a)(i)(A) of E.O. 14404, for operating in or having operated in the energy sector of the Cuban economy, the Department designated:

• CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES DEL PETROLEO S.A. (CEINPET), which is the research and development arm of the already-designated UNION CUBA-PETROLEO (CUPET) and is engaged in petroleum exploration and future energy research.
• EMPRESA DE ENERGIA S.A. (ENERSA), which is an importer of gas, liquefied gas, and lubricants.
• EINARBO S.A., which is an importer of gas, liquefied gas, and lubricants sourced from Mexico and India.

Countering Sanctions Evasion

The Cuban military conglomerate Grupo De Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA) continues attempting to shield its assets and revenue streams from U.S. sanctions through corporate restructuring and third-party intermediaries.  Accordingly, the Department designated:

• TERMINAL DE CONTENEDORES DE MARIEL S.A., pursuant to Sec. 2(a)(i)(B) of E.O. 14404 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the already-designated GAESA.  TERMINAL DE CONTENEDORES DE MARIEL S.A. is the principal container terminal in Cuba located in the port of Mariel and transferred the Port of Mariel to Coral Maritima S.A. in a mid-June transaction to evade sanctions.  
• CORAL MARITIMA S.A., pursuant to Sec. 2(a)(i)(B) of E.O. 14404 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the already-designated GRUPO EMPRESARIAL DE TRANSPORTE MARITIMO PORTUARIO (GEMAR).  GAESA, through its subsidiary TERMINAL DE CONTENEDORES DE MARIEL S.A., transferred the Port of Mariel to CORAL MARITIMA S.A. in a mid-June transaction to evade sanctions. 
• CEIBA INVESTMENTS LIMITED (CEIBA), pursuant to Sec. 2(a)(i)(A) of E.O. 14404 for operating in or having operated in the financial services sector of the Cuban economy.  CEIBA is a Guernsey-based firm invested in Cuban real estate, whose Panama subsidiary, CEIBA MTC Properties Inc., assumed full ownership of a former GAESA joint venture following GAESA’s designation.
• ORBIT S.A., pursuant to Sec. 2(a)(i)(A) of E.O. 14404 for operating in or having operated in the financial services sector of the Cuban economy.  ORBIT S.A. is a remittance processor almost certainly controlled by GAESA.

Overseas Medical Missions 

As documented in the Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report, the Cuban regime has a policy or pattern of forced labor – a form of human trafficking – in the government’s labor export program, including its overseas medical missions.  Cuban officials exploit inherently coercive laws and economic conditions to manipulate or compel workers to join and remain in labor export programs, while confiscating between 50 and 95 percent of the wages paid by receiving countries.  Tens of thousands of medical workers across more than 50 countries are subjected to this exploitation, historically making the medical missions among Cuba’s largest sources of foreign currency.  The following entities and individuals are designated for their roles in administering, enabling, and profiting from this system:

• COMERCIALIZADORA DE SERVICIOS MEDICOS CUBANOS S.A. (CSMC) is designated pursuant to Sec. 2(a)(i)(B)for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of Cuba.  CSMC is the state-owned exporter of international health services that manages Cuba’s medical missions, Cuba’s main source of foreign currency that generates more earnings than any other sector of the Cuban economy. 
• JOSE ANGEL PORTAL MIRANDA is designated pursuant to Sec. 2(a)(i)(E) for being or having been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of the Government of Cuba.  JOSE ANGEL PORTAL MIRANDA is the Cuban Minister of Public Health and is responsible for overseeing entities involved in managing Cuba’s medical missions overseas. 
• UNIDAD CENTRAL DE COOPERACION MEDICA (UCCM) is designated pursuant to Sec. 2(a)(i)(B) for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the Government of Cuba.  UCCM is an entity within the Cuban Ministry of Public Health that is responsible for recruiting Cuban medical professionals to participate in overseas assignments. 
• GRETZA SANCHEZ PADRON is designated pursuant to Sec. 2(a)(i)(E) for being or having been a leader, official, senior executive officer, or member of the board of directors of UCCM, a person proposed for concurrent designation pursuant to E.O. 14404.  GRETZA SANCHEZ PADRON is the director of UCCM.

Sanctions Implications

As a result of today’s sanctions actions, and in accordance with Executive Order (E.O.) 14404 of May 1, 2026, “Imposing Sanctions on Those Responsible for Repression in Cuba and for Threats to U.S. National Security and Foreign Policy,” all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).  Additionally, all entities that are owned individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.

All transactions and dealings by U.S. persons or persons within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt.  These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.  Foreign persons that engage in transactions with persons designated pursuant to E.O. 14404—or that operate in the energy, defense and related materiel, metals and mining, financial services, or security sector of the Cuban economy, as identified in E.O. 14404— are themselves at risk of sanctions.  Non-U.S. persons, including foreign financial institutions, should proceed with caution in any dealings with a party sanctioned under this authority.  Actions to return assets to a sanctioned party or transfer them to another jurisdiction for potential use by the target expose non-U.S. persons to significant sanctions risk.  All property and interests in property of persons that are blocked pursuant to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) continue to be blocked.  The CACR prohibits persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction from dealing in property in which Cuba or a Cuban national has an interest, unless authorized or exempt.

The power and integrity of U.S. government sanctions derive not only from the U.S. government’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law.  The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.  

Petitions for removal from the SDN List may be routed through OFAC’s Reconsiderations Portal.  Petitioners may also refer to the Department of State’s Delisting Guidance page.

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As President Trump made clear in E.O. 14390 on Combatting Cybercrime, Fraud, and Predatory Schemes Against American Citizens, his administration is taking action to counter an unprecedented threat from online investment scams.  Often orchestrated by Chinese transnational criminal organizations, scammers have defrauded U.S. citizens of at least $10 billion in 2024 alone while fueling corruption, money laundering, and human trafficking.  American children also have been specifically targeted by offenders operating overseas for sextortion scams, devastating families and futures. 

Today, I am announcing a new global visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.  This policy targets individuals responsible for, or complicit in, cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime, such as those involved in cyberscams, and sextortion.  Immediate family members of individuals engaged in such illicit activities may also be subjected to visa restrictions. 

The Trump Administration is deploying every tool at our disposal—sanctions, prosecutions, asset seizures, extradition requests, and international law enforcement cooperation—to dismantle criminal scam networks and impose costs on those who enable them.  By restricting visa issuance to those who are responsible for or complicit in these criminal enterprises, we are sending a clear message:  The United States will go after those who prey on our citizens.

Today, the United States announced more than $200 million in disaster and humanitarian assistance to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).  This assistance – including a nearly $133 million contribution to ICRC’s 2026 Global Appeal and $70 million to IFRC – furthers the Department’s approach of flexible humanitarian assistance awards with global coverage, enabling implementing organizations to address ongoing crises and respond to new disasters using funding they already have on hand, bypassing lengthy procurement timelines. Today’s contributions support organizations that respond quickly when disasters strike, provide unparalleled access to people in need in conflict settings, and leverage preexisting worldwide disaster and humanitarian response infrastructure.  

• Rapid, Flexible, and Efficient: Through its extensive network of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, comprising 18 million trained volunteers, IFRC delivers rapid, scalable humanitarian assistance in response to sudden onset disasters and complex emergencies.  When disasters strike, these National Societies are often first on the ground, providing immediate life-saving assistance.  This U.S. funding will help IFRC surge support to National Societies as needed, helping to meet immediate needs.  

• Worldwide Access: This contribution to ICRC will support its work to deliver life-saving assistance to people living through armed conflict.  ICRC’s unique mandate and neutral and impartial positioning enable it to achieve unparalleled access to conflict-affected populations across frontlines and in hard-to-reach areas, providing life-saving assistance to people that may otherwise be inaccessible to other humanitarian implementers.   

• Providing Efficient Assistance Through Existing Response Infrastructure:  By providing assistance through such well-known and well-established organizations, the Department is leveraging existing response infrastructure to provide assistance quickly and efficiently.  

The rapid, flexible, and global focus of this assistance complements similarly structured awards to Catholic Relief Services, UNICEF, and the World Food Program, in addition to the Department’s historic memorandum of understanding and $3.8 billion commitment to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  By prepositioning assistance with trusted and proven implementing organizations, the Department is enabling faster, more efficient humanitarian and disaster response while reducing bureaucratic burdens on Department staff.  The United States remains the largest humanitarian donor in the world, and we continue to call on other governments and the private sector to join our push for a faster, more accountable, efficient, impact-driven, locally driven, and hyper-prioritized model of global humanitarian assistance.  

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Tommy Pigott:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met today with Vietnam Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung.  The Secretary and Foreign Minister committed to deepening cooperation under the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.  The two leaders discussed areas of mutual importance, including strengthening the bilateral relationship, rebalancing trade, and expanding defense and security cooperation.