Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters Saturday that the global order he grew up with no longer exists, urging U.S. allies to recognize the shift and work with Washington to shape a new strategic direction for the West following joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
“The world is changing very fast right in front of us,” Rubio said. “The old world is gone, frankly, the world I grew up in, and we live in a new era of geopolitics, and it’s gonna require all of us to sort of reexamine what that looks like and what our role is going to be.”
Rubio added that similar discussions have already taken place privately with several allied nations.
“We’ve had many of these conversations in private with many of our allies. We need to continue to have those conversations,” he said.
At the same time, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Saturday that Rubio informed senior congressional leaders ahead of the coordinated U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran.
In a statement posted on X, Leavitt addressed questions from critics who argued that President Donald Trump may have authorized the operation without first obtaining approval from Congress.
“President Trump monitored the situation overnight at Mar a Lago alongside members of his national security team. The President 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 he was able to reach and brief seven of the eight members,” she added.
“The President and his national security team will continue to closely monitor the situation throughout the day.”
Leavitt did not say whether Trump planned to return to Washington or remain at his residence in Florida.
The group known as the “Gang of Eight” consists of the Senate and House majority and minority leaders along with the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.
House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed that the group had been informed.
“The Gang of Eight was briefed in detail earlier this week about potential military action against Iran,” Johnson said, according to The Independent.
Under the 1947 National Security Act, the executive branch is required to keep Congress “fully informed” about significant intelligence operations. However, according to the Harvard Kennedy School, presidents from both political parties have interpreted that requirement as satisfied by notifying the “Gang of Eight,” rather than briefing the full intelligence committees.
Leavitt’s remarks came after criticism from Rep. Thomas Massie, R Ky., who wrote on X, “Acts of war unauthorized by Congress.”
Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D Calif., had planned to force a vote next week that would limit Trump’s authority to launch military strikes against Iran without formal congressional approval.
As debate over presidential war powers intensified, Rubio also announced Friday that Iran had been designated a state sponsor of wrongful detention.
“When the Iranian regime seized power 47 years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini consolidated his control of power by endorsing the hostage taking of US embassy staff,” Rubio said in a statement.
“For decades, Iran has continued to cruelly detain innocent Americans, as well as citizens of other nations, to use as political leverage against other states. This abhorrent practice must end.”
Rubio noted that Trump signed an executive order last fall aimed at protecting U.S. citizens from wrongful detention overseas, and that Congress later 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.
