🚨Rubio Declares ‘Old World Is Gone’ Following Iran Strikes….

Following joint U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on Saturday that “the old world” he grew up in “is gone.” He urged American allies to acknowledge this profound geopolitical shift and collaborate with Washington to forge a new path for the West. Rubio emphasized that the global landscape is rapidly transforming into “a new era of geopolitics” that necessitates a reevaluation of traditional roles. He indicated that critical, private discussions are already underway with numerous allied nations, stressing the urgency for continued dialogue to adapt to the changing international order.

Simultaneously, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed via X that Secretary Rubio had notified senior congressional leaders prior to the strikes. This statement aimed to counter mounting criticism over whether President Donald Trump authorized the military action without the necessary congressional approval. Leavitt detailed that President Trump monitored the situation from Mar-a-Lago, engaging in a phone call with Prime Minister Netanyahu. She specified that Rubio had contacted all members of the so-called “Gang of Eight,” successfully briefing seven of the eight, an assertion later corroborated by House Speaker Mike Johnson. This pivotal group, overseeing intelligence, comprises the majority and minority leaders from both the Senate and House, along with the chairs and ranking members of their respective intelligence committees.

The disclosure reignited the contentious debate surrounding presidential war powers and congressional oversight. Under the 1947 National Security Act, Congress must be “fully informed” of significant intelligence activities. However, as noted by the Harvard Kennedy School, presidents from both parties have historically interpreted this to mean informing the Gang of Eight, not the entire intelligence committees. This interpretation frequently draws fire, exemplified by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who publicly condemned the strikes as “Acts of war unauthorized by Congress.” Massie, alongside Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), had been preparing to force a vote to restrict President Trump’s authority to launch strikes against Iran without explicit legislative approval, highlighting the ongoing tension.

Amidst these escalating geopolitical and domestic debates, Secretary Rubio also announced Friday that Iran had been officially designated a state sponsor of wrongful detention. He recounted the historical precedent of Ayatollah Khomeini’s regime, which consolidated power through hostage-taking of U.S. embassy staff 47 years ago. Rubio asserted that for decades, Iran has persistently used the “cruel” detention of innocent Americans and other foreign nationals as political leverage. He highlighted that President Trump had signed an executive order to safeguard U.S. citizens from wrongful detention abroad, further strengthened by Congress’s Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025. Rubio urged the Iranian regime to cease hostage-taking and release all unjustly detained Americans, stressing that such actions could remove this significant designation and its consequences.