Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Saturday that “the old world” he grew up in “is gone,” urging U.S. allies to recognize this shift and work with Washington to chart a new path for the West.
“The world is changing very fast right in front of us,” Rubio said. “We live in a new era of geopolitics, and it’s going to require all of us to reexamine what that looks like and what our role is going to be.” He added that many private discussions with allies are ongoing and must continue.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Rubio notified senior congressional leaders ahead of the joint U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran. Her statement on X came amid questions over whether President Donald Trump had authorized the strikes without Congress’s approval.
“President Trump monitored the situation overnight at Mar-a-Lago with his national security team and spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu by phone,” Leavitt wrote. “Prior to the attacks, Secretary Rubio called all members of the Gang of Eight to provide congressional notification and was able to brief seven of the eight members.”
The Gang of Eight includes Senate and House majority and minority leaders, along with chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees. House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed the group had been briefed.
Under the 1947 National Security Act, Congress must be kept “fully informed” of major intelligence activities. Presidents have historically interpreted this to mean notifying the Gang of Eight rather than full committees.
The announcement followed criticism from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who called the strikes “acts of war unauthorized by Congress.” Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) had planned a vote next week to limit Trump’s ability to strike Iran without congressional authorization.
In related developments, Rubio announced Friday that Iran has been designated a state sponsor of wrongful detention. He highlighted Iran’s long history of detaining Americans for political leverage, starting with the 1979 hostage crisis under Ayatollah Khomeini. Rubio noted that Trump signed an executive order last fall to protect U.S. nationals abroad, and Congress passed the Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025.
“The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions,” Rubio said.
