{"id":2573014,"date":"2026-02-24T12:55:58","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/just-in-marco-rubio-to-brief-lawmakers-on-iran-situation-ahead-of-trump-state-of-the-union-speech\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T12:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:58:13","slug":"just-in-marco-rubio-to-brief-lawmakers-on-iran-situation-ahead-of-trump-state-of-the-union-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/just-in-marco-rubio-to-brief-lawmakers-on-iran-situation-ahead-of-trump-state-of-the-union-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"JUST IN: Marco Rubio to Brief Lawmakers on Iran Situation Ahead of Trump State of the Union Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjust-in-marco-rubio-to-brief-lawmakers-on-iran-situation-ahead-of-trump-state-of-the-union-speech%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2573014&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Rising tensions in the Middle East are underscored as Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to brief top lawmakers at the White House about an apparent slide toward conflict,while President Trump says Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon. The United States has deployed a significant military buildup, including two aircraft carriers, to deter Iran and protect regional allies as talks on Iran\u2019s nuclear program proceed with little progress.The briefing, scheduled before Trump\u2019s State of the Union address, has invitations extended to House and Senate leaders and senior intelligence members. Reuters and other outlets note that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-to-make-china-pay\/\" title=\"How to Make China Pay\">regional officials<\/a> see a higher likelihood of conflict than a settlement, with hard stances on both sides and warnings that any Hezbollah involvement could trigger Israeli strikes on Lebanon. Iran has seen domestic protests, and Israel has warned Lebanon over potential Hezbollah participation; the State Department evacuated non-essential personnel from Beirut, while White House officials insist diplomacy remains the first option even as they signal readiness to use force if necessary.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio will brief top lawmakers about the apparent slide toward war taking place in the Middle East.<\/p>\n<p>President Donald Trump has said Iran cannot be allowed to have the ability to obtain a nuclear weapon, and while talks to accomplish that end have been under way, they are making little progress.<\/p>\n<p>As the negotiations have slogged onward, the U.S. has launched a massive military buildup in the Middle East that includes two aircraft carriers and other assets, enabling attacks on Iranian targets and protection of American installations and regional allies.<\/p>\n<p>The briefing will take place at the White House prior to Trump&rsquo;s State of the Union message on Tuesday night, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/02\/24\/congress\/rubio-to-brief-lawmakers-on-iran-00794625\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Politico<\/a>, which cited sources it did not name.<\/p>\n<p>House and Senate leaders and the senior members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees have been invited, Politico reported.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); 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\t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Although talks continue on the issue of Iran&rsquo;s nuclear program, a report from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/us-iran-slide-towards-conflict-military-buildup-eclipses-talks-2026-02-20\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reuters<\/a> indicated that officials in the region &ldquo;consider a conflict to be more likely than a settlement, these sources say, with Washington building up one of its biggest military deployments in the region since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Two Israeli officials Reuters did not name said the differences between Iran and the U.S. are too wide for there to be an agreement.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Both sides are sticking to their guns,&rdquo; Alan Eyre, a former U.S. diplomat and Iran specialist, said, adding no deal will take place &ldquo;unless the U.S. and Iran walk back from their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-to-know-about-the-strait-of-hormuz-as-iran-plans-military-drill-while-tensions-are-high-with-us\/\" title=\"What to know about the Strait of Hormuz as ... plans military drill while tensions are high with US\">red lines &#038;mdash<\/a>; which I don&rsquo;t think they will.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What Trump can&rsquo;t do is assemble all this military, and then come back with a &lsquo;so&#8209;so&rsquo; deal and pull out the military. I think he thinks he&rsquo;ll lose face,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If he attacks, it&rsquo;s going to get ugly quickly.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Within Iran, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >students held anti-government protests<\/a> over the weekend, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/iran-us-protests-students-nuclear-khamenei-096e7ede9bc9c1e7b889878af9d6e750\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128308;IRAN NOW:<\/p>\n<p>The uprising is growing again. Huge crowds forming.<\/p>\n<p>Incredible.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sioEfrlKbM\">pic.twitter.com\/sioEfrlKbM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; &#119821;&#119842;&#119848;&#119841; &#119809;&#119838;&#119851;&#119840; &#127470;&#127479; &#10017;&#65038; (@NiohBerg) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NiohBerg\/status\/2026243753468367066?\">February 24, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>  Protests that erupted in January were suppressed.<\/p>\n<p>As tensions build, the prospect of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senior-investigator-of-house-foreign-affairs-committee-resigns-over-committees-disappointing-lack-of-courage-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Senior investigator of House Foreign Affairs Committee resigns over committee\u2019s \u2018disappointing lack of courage\u2019 - Washington Examiner\">regional war looms<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>A report in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/liveblog_entry\/israel-warns-lebanon-it-will-hit-civilian-infrastructure-airport-if-hezbollah-gets-involved-in-any-us-iran-war-officials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Times of Israel<\/a> said Israel has warned the government of Lebanon that if the terrorist group Hezbollah participates in a conflict between the U.S. and Iran, Israel will hit Lebanese targets.<\/p>\n<p>The report came against a background of the State Department ordering all non-essential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsnationnow.com\/politics\/us-evacuates-non-emergency-personnel-beirut-embassy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NewsNation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to muffle the war drums by saying Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;first option is always diplomacy,&rdquo; but he has shown that &ldquo;he is willing to use the lethal force of the United States military if necessary,&rdquo; according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/liveblog-february-24-2026\/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&amp;utm_medium=desktop_site&amp;utm_campaign=liveblog_entry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Times of Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen a lot of sensationalist reporting over the past day that is just completely untrue. And anyone speculating to the media, hiding behind an anonymous source, pretending to know what President Trump is thinking or a decision he will make with respect to action against Iran, has no idea what they&rsquo;re talking about,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s a paraphrase of the provided text:<\/p>\n<p>Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to brief senior lawmakers on what officials describe as a slide toward war in the Middle East. President Donald Trump has said Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, and while talks to prevent that remain underway, progress has been limited. As negotiations drag on, the United States has launched a sizable military buildup in the region, including two aircraft carriers and other forces, enabling potential strikes on Iranian targets and protecting American installations and regional allies. The briefing will occur at the White House before Trump\u2019s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, with invitations extended to House and Senate leaders and senior members of the intelligence committees, according to Politico.<\/p>\n<p>Analyses and reports note ongoing discussions about Iran\u2019s nuclear program, but Reuters cited regional officials who say a conflict is more likely than a settlement, as Washington has deployed one of its largest regional contingents since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Two unnamed Israeli officials said the differences between Iran and the U.S. are too wide for an agreement, and that both sides are sticking to their positions. Alan Eyre, a former U.S. diplomat and Iran expert, warned that any deal would require concessions from both sides and that a military action by Trump could quickly become ugly.<\/p>\n<p>Inside Iran, protests against the government flared up again over the weekend. As tensions rise, a regional war possibility looms. The Times of Israel reported that Israel warned Lebanon\u2019s government that Hezbollah\u2019s involvement in any U.S.\u2013Iran conflict would trigger Israeli strikes on Lebanese targets. This came as the State Department ordered all non-essential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to depart Lebanon. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to downplay war talk by emphasizing diplomacy as the first option, even as she acknowledged Trump\u2019s willingness to use U.S. military force if necessary, and she rejected sensationalist reporting and anonymous sourcing about the president\u2019s intentions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3823,3673,73878,73673,3634],"class_list":["post-2573014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-iran","tag-lawmakers","tag-marco-rubio-2","tag-state-of-the-union-2","tag-trump"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573014"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573017,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573014\/revisions\/2573017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}