Marco Rubio's Bold Statement: Will Iran Really 'Pay a Price'?
LiveCENTCOM launched a 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran on Wednesday.Last Updated: July 23, 2026, 10:52 AM EDTPresident Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.Key Headlines 49 minutes ago1 hour and 39 minutes ago6:14 AM EDT6:13 AM EDT4:49 AM EDTHere's how the news is developing. 49 minutes agoHouse adopts Iran war powers resolution for 2nd time since start of conflictThe House of Representatives adopted a resolution to curb President Donald Trump’s Iran war powers by a vote of 214 to 208 – delivering a major rebuke to the administration for the second time since the start of the conflict. Four Republicans -- Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Warren Davidson (Ohio) and Tom Barrett (Mich.) -- voted in favor with all Democrats present to adopt the resolution. The vote was called at 10:25 a.m. While this is a major rebuke to the president’s handling of the war with Iran, the resolution is symbolic in nature and expresses the sentiment of the full House. The concurrent resolution, which calls on the president to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces in hostilities against Iran, now heads to the Senate for consideration. Even if the Senate follows suit, a concurrent resolution does not carry the weight of law and is not subject to veto or presented to the president. This is the fifth time the House has taken up a Democrat-led Iran war powers resolution in recent months. The last time the House adopted a similar resolution with bipartisan support was on June 3. The Senate later Thursday morning is taking a procedural vote on a different Iran war powers resolution.-ABC News' Lauren Peller1 hour and 39 minutes agoTrump threatens ‘major military punishment’ if Houthis attack againAs the Houthis claim to have attacked two Saudi Arabian ships on Wednesday, President Donald Trump is warning that the U.S. will inflict "major military punishment" on Iran and the Houthis if this happens again."If they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves, who I am very disappointed with,” Trump wrote on social media.The president reflected on previous escalation between the U.S. and the Houthis, but said the Iranian-backed rebels group have "acted very responsibly" throughout the almost-five month war with Iran. Trump also said the Houthis had been "very professionally and smart" prior to this point.6:14 AM EDTKuwait, Jordan confirm fresh Iranian attacksBoth Kuwait and Jordan confirmed new Iranian attacks on Thursday, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted U.S. bases in both countries.Kuwait's Armed Forces said in a post to X that its air defenses were responding to "hostile drone threats" on Thursday.Jordan's official news agency PETRA, meanwhile, said on Thursday that the country's air defenses downed three Iranian missiles and six drones over the previous 24 hours. One missile was not intercepted and "landed in a remote, uninhabited area," the agency said.-ABC News' Morgan Winsor6:13 AM EDTIran will 'pay a price,' Rubio says when asked if US will escalateWhile attending the ASEAN summit in Manilla, Philippines, on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Iran is "going to pay a price" when asked if the U.S. was planning to escalate its ongoing strike campaign in the coming days."The president's policy is a head for an eye," Rubio said. "They will pay a very heavy price for the things they're doing. They're already paying a very heavy price.""They're probably not ready to do a deal yet, but they will be soon because the price they're paying is very high, despite their tough talk and their flowery language and their stupid Lego videos they put out," Rubio said.Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, on July 23, 2026.Brendan Smialowski/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesRubio denied reports that Russia is helping Iran to target its strikes on U.S. bases and personnel, telling reporters there is "nothing that anyone's doing to help Iran" target Americans.The secretary of state did not directly respond to Trump's social media posts threatening to bomb Iran's infrastructure each time they target ships in the Strait of Hormuz when asked by reporters. However, Rubio suggested Iran is "begging" the U.S. "every single day" to make a deal both "directly and indirectly.""The price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses. Right now, apparently they haven't come to their senses, and so the president doesn't see a lot of utility in responding to their overtures at this point," he said.-ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Alex Ederson and Tierra Cunningham