Rubio designates Iran over wrongful detentions, urges Americans to leave country ‘immediately’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday designated Iran as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention, calling for Americans currently in Iran to “leave immediately.”
“When the Iranian regime seized power 47 years ago, Ayatollah Khomeini consolidated his control of power by endorsing the hostage taking of U.S. embassy staff,” Rubio wrote in a news 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.”
“President [Donald] Trump issued an Executive Order to Protect U.S. Nationals from Wrongful Detention Abroad last fall and Congress subsequently enacted the Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025, authorizing the Department to designate Iran as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention,” he added.
Rubio said if Iran does not stop, the U.S. will be forced to consider “additional measures,” including a potential geographic travel restriction on the use of U.S. passports to, through, or from Iran.
“The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions. We encourage it to do so,” Rubio wrote. “No American should travel to Iran for any reason. We reiterate our call for Americans who are currently in Iran to leave immediately.”
Rubio’s comments came amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran as they take part in indirect nuclear negotiations.
Trump last week gave Iran roughly 10 to 15 days to reach an agreement, warning during his State of the Union address that the urgency to make a deal was backed by force.
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Trump told reporters on Friday that he is “not happy” with the way Iran is negotiating, but said he has not yet made a final decision on potential military strikes.
Eleven U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters recently arrived at Israel’s Ovda Air Base in the country’s south, Fox News reported, marking the first-ever operational deployment of American combat aircraft to Israel.
When asked how close a decision may be, Trump told a reporter, “I’d rather not tell you, you would have the greatest scoop in history, right?”
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The president noted that there is “always a risk” of long-term conflict in the Middle East.
“I guess you could say there’s always a risk,” Trump said. “You know, when there’s war, there’s a risk in anything both good and bad.”
US positions F-22 stealth fighters in Israel, puts ‘almost any target in Iran at risk’
As the Trump administration weighs its next move on Iran, one of the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. arsenal has taken up position closer to Tehran.
Eleven U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters have arrived at Israel’s Ovda Air Base in the country’s south, Fox News reported, marking the first-ever operational deployment of American combat aircraft to Israel. The move comes amid a broader U.S. military buildup in the region not seen at this scale in years and as concerns grow over Iran’s nuclear program and missile capabilities.
For American decision-makers, the significance is straightforward: The F-22 changes the military equation.
“The F-22 is indeed the most air-to-air capable fighter in the world; nothing comes close to it in the air-to-air role,” said retired Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, former deputy chief of staff for operations at U.S. Air Force headquarters. During a May 26 webinar hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), he described its presence as “a very clear deterrent signal” that allows the United States to “negotiate with strength.”
Designed to establish and maintain air superiority, the F-22 can operate in heavily defended airspace and suppress enemy air defenses. In any potential strike scenario against Iran, that capability would be critical. Before bombers or strike aircraft can reach hardened nuclear or missile targets, someone has to clear the skies. That is the F-22’s core mission, former generals explained in the webinar.
Guastella underscored what forward positioning means in practical terms. “The advantage of the large force that’s there is that it can hold almost any target in Iran at risk … if that’s what the president wants to do,” he said.
Retired Lt. Gen. Charles Moore, former deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command, said in the webinar that the deployment is about expanding presidential options rather than signaling a predetermined strike.
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“There is a lot of combat capability that’s been moved into the region … the more capability, the more assets we put, the more options that the President has. We don’t box him in,” Moore said.
He added that the posture allows the United States “to be prepared for a long-term type of deployment and sustainment of combat capability if that’s what the President decides he wants us to do.”
Trump signaled Friday that diplomacy remains his preference but did not rule out force. Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas, he said he was not happy with Iran and wants to make a deal with Tehran, but warned that “sometimes you have to” use military force. He added that Iran remains unwilling to forswear nuclear weapons as demanded by the United States.
The choice of Israel as the deployment site also matters. Unlike some Gulf bases, where operational restrictions can apply, Israel offers fewer political constraints, they explained. That gives U.S. planners additional freedom of action in a fast-moving crisis.
THE ONLY MAP YOU NEED TO SEE TO UNDERSTAND HOW SERIOUS TRUMP IS ABOUT IRAN
JINSA’s fellow for American Strategy, Jonathan Ruhe, said the move follows a JINSA recommendation to expand U.S. basing options in Israel, outlined in a report the organization published last fall.
That report argued that forward basing in Israel would enhance U.S. flexibility and deterrence in the region. The organization has for months pushed the idea that Israel could function as a land-based platform for American airpower in the Middle East.
Former Israeli Air Force commander Maj. Gen. (ret.) Amikam Norkin said deploying such high-end aircraft to the region is not routine and framed the move as both operational and strategic. “It presents the American commitment to Israeli security once you are landing with your best airplane in Israel,” he said, adding that regional actors “understand the very strong commitment of the American government, American military, American President, to the national security of Israel.”
At the same time, he rejected the idea that the deployment represents a shift toward American “boots on the ground” in Israel.
“Well, it’s not the first time that America is on the ground. As you remember the 12-Day War, the American Air Defense System supported us. So it’s already been done,” Norkin said.
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More broadly, he emphasized that Iran is not solely an Israeli problem. “The Iranian threat, it’s not just an Israeli threat, it’s a regional threat, and the American forces support the region, not just Israel.”
Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command briefed President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday on potential military options targeting Iran, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to Fox News. The president’s top military adviser, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, also attended the briefing.
For now, officials describe the move as part of preparedness rather than a prelude to immediate conflict. But the arrival of America’s premier air-dominance fighter on Israeli soil signals a new phase in U.S.-Israel military coordination and a clear message to Tehran: If the president chooses to strike, the tools are already in place.
Trump ‘not happy’ with Iran talks, hasn’t made ‘final decision’ on US strikes
President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday that he is “not happy” with the way Iran is negotiating.
“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have. So I’m not thrilled with that. We’ll see what happens, we’re talking later. We’ll have some additional talks today. But, no, I’m not happy with the way they’re going,” Trump said.
The president also told reporters that he had yet to make a final decision on striking Iran, something that many have speculated could occur in the near future.
When answering a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy, Trump acknowledged that if the U.S. strikes Iran, there is a possibility of a long-term conflict sparking in the Middle East.
“I guess you could say there’s always a risk. You know, when there’s war, there’s a risk in anything both good and bad,” Trump said.
The president then spoke about operations against Iran under his first and second terms, such as the assassination of Gen. Qassim Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, and last summer’s Operation Midnight Hammer. He said that “everything’s worked out” so far.
TRUMP ISSUES STERN IRAN WARNING AS TEHRAN ANGRILY REACTS TO SPEECH AMID MUTED WORLD REACTION
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have escalated, even as the two sides take part in indirect nuclear negotiations. The president on Feb. 19 gave Iran a deadline of roughly 10 to 15 days to reach an agreement, and during his State of the Union address, he underscored that his urgency to make a deal was backed by force.
“I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror… to have a nuclear weapon,” he said on Tuesday.
“We are in negotiations with them,” Trump added. “They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.'”
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Trump has repeatedly threatened major consequences in the event that the U.S. and Iran are unable to strike a deal.
While the president said he had not made a decision on the strikes, the State Department appeared to be acting out of caution on Friday as it authorized all non-essential employees at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to leave Israel. While the warning issued by the embassy did not mention Iran by name, it referenced “increased regional tensions.”
State Dept authorizes non-essential US Embassy personnel in Jerusalem to depart ahead of possible Iran strikes
The State Department is allowing non-essential personnel working at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to leave Israel ahead of possible strikes on Iran. The embassy announced the decision early Friday morning and said that “in response to security incidents and without advance notice” it could place further restrictions on where U.S. government employees can travel within Israel.
The decision came after meetings and phone calls through the night Thursday into Friday, according to The New York Times, which reviewed a copy of an email that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sent to embassy workers.
The Times reported that the ambassador said in his email that the move was a result of “an abundance of caution” and that those wishing to leave “should do so TODAY.” He reportedly urged them to look for flights out of Ben Gurion Airport to any destination, cautioning that the embassy’s move “will likely result in high demand for airline seats today.”
In the email, Huckabee also said that there was “no need to panic,” but he underscored that those looking to leave should “make plans to depart sooner rather than later,” the Times reported.
“Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to D.C., but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country,” Huckabee said in the email, according to the Times.
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The embassy reiterated the State Department’s advisory for U.S. citizens to reconsider traveling to Israel and the West Bank “due to terrorism and civil unrest.” Additionally, the department advised that U.S. citizens not travel to Gaza because of terrorism and armed conflict, as well as northern Israel, particularly within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders because of “continued military presence and activity.”
It also recommended that U.S. citizens not travel within 1.5 miles of the Egyptian border, with the exception of the Taba crossing, which remains open.
“Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities,” the embassy said in its warning. “The security environment is complex and can change quickly, and violence can occur in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza without warning.”
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While the embassy did not specifically mention Iran in its warning, it referenced “increased regional tensions” that could “cause airlines to cancel and/or curtail flights into and out of Israel.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department and the White House for comment on this matter.
Where Iran’s ballistic missiles can reach — and how close they are to the US
President Donald Trump warned that Iran is working to build missiles that could “soon reach the United States of America,” elevating concerns about a weapons program that already places U.S. forces across the Middle East within range.
Iran does not currently possess a missile capable of striking the U.S. homeland, officials say. But its existing ballistic missile arsenal can target major American military installations in the Gulf, and U.S. officials say the issue has emerged as a key sticking point in ongoing nuclear negotiations.
Here’s what Iran can hit now — and how close it is to reaching the U.S.
What Iran can hit right now
Iran is widely assessed by Western defense analysts to operate the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East. Its arsenal consists primarily of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles with ranges of up to roughly 2,000 kilometers — about 1,200 miles.
That range places a broad network of U.S. military infrastructure across the Gulf within reach.
Among the installations inside that envelope:
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- Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, forward headquarters for U.S. Central Command.
- Naval Support Activity Bahrain, home to the U.S. 5th Fleet.
- Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, a major Army logistics and command hub.
- Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, used by U.S. Air Force units.
- Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
- Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
- Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which hosts U.S. aircraft.
U.S. forces have drawn down from some regional positions in recent months, including the transfer of Al Asad Air Base in Iraq back to Iraqi control earlier in 2026. But major Gulf installations remain within the range envelope of Iran’s current missile inventory.
Multiple U.S. officials told Fox News that staffing at the Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters in Bahrain has been reduced to “mission critical” levels amid heightened tensions. A separate U.S. official disputed that characterization, saying no ordered departure of personnel or dependents has been issued.
At the same time, the U.S. has surged significant naval and air assets into and around the region in recent days.
The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Arabian Sea alongside multiple destroyers, while additional destroyers are positioned in the eastern Mediterranean, Red Sea and Persian Gulf.
The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group is also headed toward the region. U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft — including F-15s, F-16s, F-35s and A-10s — are based across Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, supported by aerial refueling tankers, early warning aircraft and surveillance platforms, according to a recent Fox News military briefing.
Iran has demonstrated its willingness to use ballistic missiles against U.S. targets before.
In January 2020, following the U.S. strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at U.S. positions in Iraq. Dozens of American service members were later diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries.
That episode underscored the vulnerability of forward-deployed forces within reach of Iran’s missile arsenal.
Can Iran reach Europe?
Most publicly known Iranian missile systems are assessed to have maximum ranges of around 2,000 kilometers.
Depending on launch location, that could place parts of southeastern Europe — including Greece, Bulgaria and Romania — within potential reach. The U.S. has some 80,000 troops stationed across Europe, including in all three of these countries.
Reaching deeper into Europe would require longer-range systems than Iran has publicly demonstrated as operational.
Can Iran hit the US?
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Iran does not currently field an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the U.S. homeland.
To reach the U.S. East Coast, a missile would need a range of roughly 10,000 kilometers — far beyond Iran’s known operational capability.
However, U.S. intelligence agencies have warned that Iran’s space launch vehicle program could provide the technological foundation for a future long-range missile.
In a recent threat overview, the Defense Intelligence Agency stated that Iran “has space launch vehicles it could use to develop a militarily-viable ICBM by 2035 should Tehran decide to pursue the capability.”
That assessment places any potential Iranian intercontinental missile capability roughly a decade away — and contingent on a political decision by Tehran.
U.S. officials and defense analysts have pointed in particular to Iran’s recent space launches, including rockets such as the Zuljanah, which use solid-fuel propulsion. Solid-fuel motors can be stored and launched more quickly than liquid-fueled rockets — a feature that is also important for military ballistic missiles.
Space launch vehicles and long-range ballistic missiles rely on similar multi-stage rocket technology. Analysts say advances in Iran’s space program could shorten the pathway to an intercontinental-range missile if Tehran chose to adapt that technology for military use.
For now, however, Iran has not deployed an operational ICBM, and the U.S. homeland remains outside the reach of its current ballistic missile arsenal.
US missile defenses — capable but finite
The U.S. relies on layered missile defense systems — including Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), Patriot and ship-based interceptors — to protect forces and allies from ballistic missile threats across the Middle East.
These systems are technically capable, but interceptor inventories are finite.
During the June 2025 Iran-Israel missile exchange, U.S. forces reportedly fired more than 150 THAAD interceptors — roughly a quarter of the total the Pentagon had funded to date, according to defense analysts.
The economics also highlight the imbalance: open-source estimates suggest Iranian short-range ballistic missiles can cost in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece, while advanced U.S. interceptors such as THAAD run roughly $12 million or more per missile.
Precise inventory levels are classified. But experts who track Pentagon procurement data warn that replenishing advanced interceptors can take years, meaning a prolonged, high-intensity missile exchange could strain stockpiles even if U.S. defenses remain effective.
Missile program complicates negotiations
The ballistic missile issue has also emerged as a key fault line in ongoing diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Iran’s refusal to negotiate limits on its ballistic missile program is “a big problem,” signaling that the administration views the arsenal as central to long-term regional security.
While current negotiations are focused primarily on Iran’s nuclear program and uranium enrichment activities, U.S. officials have argued that delivery systems — including ballistic missiles — cannot be separated from concerns about a potential nuclear weapon.
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Iranian officials, however, have insisted their missile program is defensive in nature and not subject to negotiation as part of nuclear-focused talks.
As diplomacy continues, the strategic reality remains clear: Iran cannot currently strike the U.S. homeland with a ballistic missile. But U.S. forces across the Middle East remain within range of Tehran’s existing arsenal — and future capabilities remain a subject of intelligence concern.