Rubio takes behind-the-scenes role on Iran war, while keeping his options open for the future

WASHINGTON — The talks to end the Iran war had hit a snag.

Vice President JD Vance had flown to Pakistan for negotiations with the Iranians, a sign that the two sides had narrowed their differences and the White House might be poised to announce a breakthrough.

As the marathon April meeting unfolded, though, U.S. negotiators began to worry: It looked like the Iranians were changing the terms of a potential deal. So, during a pause, they phoned Secretary of State Marco Rubio to get a “steer” on what they should do next, an administration official with direct knowledge of the matter said in an interview.

Rubio agreed that they couldn’t accept Iran’s offer, the official said. There would be no deal.

Rubio isn’t the face of the Iran negotiations. He’s kept a discreet public distance as the unpopular war grinds on. Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and the president’s longtime friend and special envoy Steve Witkoff are the main protagonists in the push to end both the Iran and Russia-Ukraine conflicts.

The arrangement is an unusual one. Past secretaries of state commanded the spotlight when it came to war and peace. Henry Kissinger won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for negotiating a ceasefire in the Vietnam War during the Nixon administration. John Kerry, in the Obama administration, flew back and forth between Washington and the Middle East as he tried in vain to broker a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Still, Rubio has been a hidden hand throughout, helping craft the Trump administration’s strategy while privately advising the officials who play a more public role in the peace talks.

He holds a unique place in the Cabinet, one of the most expansive in the modern presidency. Rubio doubles as national security adviser — first in an acting capacity, now permanent — meaning he has a spacious office in the West Wing and gets more face time with Trump than most Cabinet members.

This account is based on interviews with 12 present and former administration officials and others close to Rubio and the White House. Many spoke on condition of anonymity to talk freely about internal policy and political dynamics.

“The reason that the American people perhaps don’t see Secretary Rubio as front and center on Iran is because he really does have the rest of the world to worry about and pays enormous attention to the Western Hemisphere and our European allies,” White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told NBC News. “President Trump is so busy and active around the world, it takes more than one person. So, Secretary Rubio is leading the other efforts around the world that are so important to America’s stability and future promise.”

Trump has given Rubio wide latitude, allowing America’s top diplomat to be selective when it comes to the public parts of the job. Rubio was more visible in the early phase of the Iran war than in the later stages. That could prove advantageous down the road.

Polls show widespread American disenchantment with the conflict. As public opinion hardens, Rubio may be better positioned to sidestep any political backlash than Vance, who has attended futile rounds of peace talks in far-flung locales.

Rubio has said publicly that he currently has no plans to run in 2028, and two people familiar with the matter have told NBC News he has also said that privately. He has acknowledged behind closed doors that the landscape may be tough for Republicans in 2028 and suggested that a presidential run in 2032 or 2036 may be more promising, a person close to him said.

But Rubio’s comments don’t close the door completely. A second person close to him said that he has not ruled out a potential 2028 presidential run, but he is not discussing his future plans.

“Nobody knows what he’s going to do,” the source said. “Political calculation does not factor into literally anything that he’s doing right now.”

Another consideration is personal. Rubio has also said privately that after nearly three decades in public office he may want to take a job in the private sector when Trump’s term ends, two people familiar with the matter told NBC News.

His financial disclosure form shows his net worth to be no more than $240,000 apart from his house, listed in a range between $1 million and $5 million. Those are modest sums in an administration packed with officials worth $100 million or more.

Rubio could readily land a lucrative job that would be a boon to himself, his wife and their four children if he sat out the race, and at 55, he is young enough to mount a campaign later on.

Relationship with Trump

Once angry rivals,Rubio and Trump have developed a good rapport. Rubio may be in and out of the Oval Office five or six times a day, a White House official told NBC News. Both love sports, and they’ve been overheard jawing about baseball batting averages or a knockout punch in the latest mixed martial arts match, the official said.

Olivia Wales, a White House spokesperson, said in a prepared statement: “As President Trump says, Marco Rubio will go down as one of the greatest Secretaries of State in history. The president and Secretary Rubio have successfully restored American dominance on the world stage and are relentlessly working to advance our foreign policy interests.”

After spending 14 years in the Senate, Rubio grasps the politics and legislative tactics needed to pass bills into law and will advise the president on ways to push his agenda through Congress, the official said.

“I can think of many times in which we’re talking about whatever he [Trump] is focused on that day and he’ll say, ‘What do you think, Marco?’ I’ve heard that more times than I can count,” a person close to the White House said. “They jell well together. I’ve seen people who don’t jell well with the president, and Marco is not one of those people.”

Donald Trump and Marco Rubio. — Secretary of State Marco Rubio gets more face time with Trump than most Cabinet members.Kent Nishimura / AFP via Getty Images

Rubio’s influence in the peace talks is largely behind the scenes. Witkoff checks in with him before agreeing to attend negotiating sessions, takes guidance before meetings and briefs him afterward, the administration official said.

Last weekend, the two men spoke by phone multiple times about an escalating conflict involving Iran and Yemen. On Saturday, Witkoff reached Rubio while the secretary of state was at the University of Florida football stadium in Gainesville, watching his son play for the Gators, the official said.

Leaving the Senate last year to work for Trump was a gamble for Rubio. The two faced off in the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, where they one-upped each other in schoolyard taunts. Trump derided the Florida lawmaker as “Little Marco.” Rubio mocked the New York businessman’s hand size.

Time and pragmatic politics have transformed the rivalry into a partnership. The Senate confirmed Rubio by a vote of 99-0, a feat that has impressed even Trump.

“It’s not an easy job to be both the secretary of state and the national security adviser, but Secretary Rubio has managed it beautifully,” Wiles said. “He is an experienced, smart and intuitive adviser to the president and the rest of the team, be it national security or foreign affairs.”

Venezuela and a legacy

Other Cabinet secretaries have flamed out since Trump began his second term. Attorney General Pam Bondi is gone, as are Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

Rubio, by contrast, has thrived in a job that aligns with his political and policy interests. One of his main priorities is building American clout in the Western Hemisphere, where he is leaving an imprint.

He helped forge an oil deal with Venezuela this summer that the Trump administration believes will buoy both the U.S. and Venezuelan economies.

Earlier this month, Rubio met with heads of state in Latin America as he sought to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

The son of Cuban émigrés, he is also driving the administration’s effort to transform Cuba and bring an end to the regime in Havana.

If he can nudge Venezuela and Cuba toward democratic governance, that could be an enviable legacy for a secretary of state who is nursing presidential ambitions.

Rubio’s statement to a Colombian radio station earlier this month that he currently has “no plans” to mount another campaign was not a hard-and-fast denial. Even if it was, it might not matter. When Rubio first ran for president, he made clear he was done with the Senate. And he sounded adamant.

“I have only said like 10000 times I will be a private citizen in January,” he wrote on social media in May 2016, two months after he dropped out of the presidential contest. The following month, he did an about-face, ran for re-election and won.

If Vance enters the race and falters in the Republican primaries, Rubio might jump in the contest, the second person close to Rubio said.

Another possibility would be for Rubio to become Vance’s running mate, something he would be inclined to do if asked, this person said. Trump himself has suggested the two men pair up in 2028, and his opinion counts given his grip on the Republican base.

Trump likes to ask people privately who they think should be the GOP nominee.

“Whoever the Republican nominee is in 2028, Donald Trump will decide,” the White House official said. “Of course, the primary process will run. But the president will have such an outsized influence in it, and I think he does wish they would run together.”

After the midterm elections in November, attention will turn to 2028 and the post-Trump era. Rubio won’t have much time to decide his future.

“If he’s serious about running, he would have to say so reasonably soon,” the White House official said. “Once you’re elected, you never really get rid of that bug. Ultimately, if there’s an opportunity and an opening, you’d be almost fighting your instincts not to do it.”

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