Marco Rubio

The US Secretary of State called officials from the three countries following recent attacks by Iran on their territories.

“Before the war, I was often asked whether Israel had become the 51st state, unable to say no to the US president. That’s not the case,” Mike Herzog said.

The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Shifra Jacobs—the top stories, clear and concise. 

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Rubio's statements, saying that the US has "entered a war of choice on behalf of Israel."

The reported strike took place on a girls' elementary school in the town of Minab in southern Iran on Saturday, marking the deadliest incident in the US and Israel's war against Iran.

"The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran," Rubio said, as Trump states he is "not happy" with the negotiations.

Four others aboard were killed on Wednesday when Cuban forces returned fire on the Florida-registered speedboat off the northern coast of Cuba, Cuba's Interior Ministry said.

This diplomatic meeting is seen as a pivotal moment for both nations and a last chance to avoid a military confrontation.

Experts see the move as a reversion to a more confrontational approach, with the administration pushing for a more "assertive international data policy."

In his longest State of the Union yet, Trump framed Iran as an imminent threat, raising the question of whether he was signaling diplomacy or preparing the public for conflict.