Rubio Declares ‘Old World Is Gone’ Following Iran Strikes

Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a blunt assessment of the global order Saturday in the wake of coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, declaring that “the old world” is over and urging America’s allies to adapt to a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape.

“The world is changing very fast right in front of us,” Rubio told reporters. “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.”

He emphasized that these conversations are already underway behind closed doors.

“We’ve had many of these conversations in private with many of our allies. We need to continue to have those conversations,” Rubio added.

His remarks came amid escalating debate in Washington following President Donald J. Trump’s authorization of joint military strikes targeting Iranian assets believed to pose an imminent threat.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed questions about congressional notification in a statement posted to X, pushing back on claims that the administration bypassed lawmakers.

“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 indicate whether the president would immediately return to Washington or remain at his Florida residence.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed that senior lawmakers were briefed in advance.

“The Gang of Eight was briefed in detail earlier this week about potential military action against Iran,” Johnson said, according to The Independent.

The so-called “Gang of Eight” includes the House and Senate majority and minority leaders along with the chairs and ranking members of both intelligence committees. Under the 1947 National Security Act, Congress must be kept “fully informed” of significant intelligence activities. However, as noted by the Harvard Kennedy School, presidents of both parties have long interpreted that requirement to mean that notifying the Gang of Eight satisfies the statute, rather than briefing the full intelligence panels.

Despite that precedent, Rep. Thomas Massie criticized the operation on X, writing, “Acts of war unauthorized by Congress.”

Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna had been preparing to force a vote aimed at restricting the president’s authority to launch strikes on Iran absent formal congressional authorization.

As the constitutional debate intensified, Rubio also announced a significant diplomatic move: Iran has 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 President Trump signed an executive order last fall to better protect U.S. nationals from wrongful detention abroad, and that Congress subsequently enacted the Countering Wrongful Detention Act of 2025 to strengthen those protections.

“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.

Rubio’s warning about a transformed global order reflects a broader reality confronting the West: adversarial regimes are testing boundaries, alliances are shifting, and American leadership once again carries decisive weight. For President Trump, now serving his second term, the approach is clear — restore deterrence, demand accountability, and reshape alliances to meet the moment.