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Marco Rubio

The latest news on Marco Rubio, American politician and 72nd United States Secretary of State, including US politics news and updates.

Born

28 May 1971

Industry

Politics

Job title

US Secretary of State

A warplane prepares for flight operations aboard a US aircraft carrier on the day US Central Command carried out air strikes against Iranian military targets. Photo: CENTCOM via Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

US military carries out new strikes on Iranian targets as hostilities flare

Iran targets American interests in Gulf states after US forces attack Iranian air defence sites, radar systems and maritime assets.

1 hour ago

SCO

What to expect as China’s Xi Jinping attends SCO summit in Bishkek

31 Aug 2026 - 2:57PMvideocam

India

‘Important part of India’: the phrase rattling US-Pakistan ties

29 Aug 2026 - 3:00PMvideocam

US-Venezuela conflict

Trump says US to take control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuela oil reserves

The US president faces mounting pressure to address high petrol prices as Iran war hits a six-month milestone with no conclusion in sight.

29 Aug 2026 - 2:35PM

A gas flare burns at the Cardon refinery in Punta Cardon, Venezuela, in May. Photo: Reuters

US-China relations

Frustration in China as US freezes green card interviews worldwide

The cancelled appointments mark the latest squeeze in a tightening vice on legal immigration during Donald Trump’s second term.

26 Aug 2026 - 7:35PM

South Korea

South Korea pledges to help Trump revive talks with North Korea’s Kim

Trump’s recent olive branch to Kim and criticism ‌of Seoul have raised concerns of a strain on long-standing Asian alliances.

25 Aug 2026 - 9:54AM

United States

US targets up to 200,000 foreigners in largest-ever mass visa revocation

State Department prepares mass revocation of tourist and business visas for foreigners seeking asylum.

25 Aug 2026 - 2:10PM

A passport shown with a US visitor visa. Under a planned State Department policy, up to 200,000 tourist and business visas could be revoked. Photo: Shutterstock

Middle East

US removes Syria from state sponsor of terrorism list in major diplomatic shift

Washington lifts decades-old designation, removing final barriers to foreign investment following Assad’s fall.

25 Aug 2026 - 1:47PM

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Lula seeks end to ‘baseless tariffs’ in call with Trump

Washington imposed two new sets of tariffs on Brazil in July, a key campaign issue ahead for the left-wing president ahead of the presidential election in October.

22 Aug 2026 - 4:51PM

United States

US court strikes down Trump visa ban affecting South Asian nations

Federal judge calls 75-country suspension ‘patently unlawful’, ruling officials cannot block visas based on nationality.

22 Aug 2026 - 1:51PM

Federal immigration agents seen in Los Angeles last year. US President Donald Trump has pursued an ‌aggressive immigration crackdown during his second term. Photo: Los Angeles Times/TNS

Japan

Why Japan is walking on eggshells over US sanctions on ICC judge

Tokyo has to tread ‘extremely lightly’ on the issue to avoid jeopardising the US security umbrella on which it relies, analysts say.

21 Aug 2026 - 8:00AM

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has described the sanctions on ICC president Tomoko Akane as “deeply regrettable”. Photo: Kyodo

US-China relations

US designates academic Min Zin as ‘wrongfully detained’ in China

Case adds friction weeks before Trump-Xi summit, with Washington pressing Beijing over Americans held in the country.

21 Aug 2026 - 6:53AMvideocam

US-China relations

US Democrats rebuke Trump for easing sanctions on Beijing, Hong Kong officials

Lawmakers said sanctions should remain as mainland Chinese, Hong Kong officials were ‘complicit in Beijing’s dismantling of Hong Kong’s autonomy’.

19 Aug 2026 - 9:14AMvideocam

United States

US sanctions International Criminal Court chief Tomoko Akane

Senior ICC lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who was on the prosecution team that sought an arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu, was also targeted.

19 Aug 2026 - 3:13PM

Japanese Judge Tomoko Akane, President of the International Criminal Court, delivers a speech at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in June 2024. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

Rodriguez’s Castro tribute tests Venezuela’s balancing act between US and China

Beijing retains commercial interests in Venezuela even as analysts see Washington curbing its political and strategic influence.

17 Aug 2026 - 10:33PMvideocam

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s tribute to late Cuban leader Fidel Castro drew an angry response from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: AP

US-China relations

US sets up task force to combat birth tourism, revokes more than 600 visas

US State Department also announced earlier this week it had revoked more than 175,000 visas since Donald Trump returned to office.

13 Aug 2026 - 5:46AMvideocam

US-China trade war

Exclusive | US-China ‘Board of Investment’ stalls before expected Trump-Xi meeting

President of US-China Business Council says neither side has ‘initiated consultation process’ or is ready yet for private sector discussions.

13 Aug 2026 - 9:29AMvideocam

United States

Rights groups sue the Trump administration over ICC sanctions

Lawsuit says Trump’s executive order targeting the International Criminal Court for investigating Israeli crimes in Palestine is ‘illegal’.

12 Aug 2026 - 1:31AM

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: AP

United States

Russia frees ailing ex-US marine after Putin’s ‘goodwill’ pardon

Robert Gilman was released on humanitarian grounds with no prisoner exchange after intervention by the White House.

12 Aug 2026 - 1:00AM

US-China relations

US unveils critical minerals deals in latest push to counter China

Trump administration seeks Beijing-free supply chains for key defence materials as Iran war strains US weapons stockpiles.

8 Aug 2026 - 6:58AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

US sanctions Cuba’s military representative in Beijing over China procurement

Measures target officials and firms accused of obtaining military equipment from China and Russia for Cuba’s armed forces.

7 Aug 2026 - 10:17PMvideocam

Left to right: Cuban Ambassador to China Alberto Blanco Silva, Chinese Major General Ye Jiang and Cuban First Colonel Waldo Perez Cortes pose during a 65th anniversary celebration in Beijing in September 2025. Photo: Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX)

United States

New UK foreign minister dodges questions on his past Trump remarks

Ed Miliband in Washington ignores shouted inquiries about calling the US president an ‘idiot, a racist and a misogynist’.

6 Aug 2026 - 12:55PM

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

US, Israel war on Iran

US waging war on Iran not worth the cost, most Americans say in new survey

Marquette Law School poll also found 75 per cent of respondents nationwide did not believe the conflict was worth the cost.

5 Aug 2026 - 2:42PM

Americas and the Caribbean

US revokes visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington in escalating row

State Department retaliates against Brasilia over delayed envoy approval as fractious relationship is again tested.

5 Aug 2026 - 10:49AM

United States

US State Department to close consulates in Canada, Japan and Indonesia: sources

The State Department did not confirm the closures but said it was focused on ensuring that America’s diplomatic footprint was efficient.

4 Aug 2026 - 7:21AM

The US State Department building in Washington. Photo: Reuters

2026 Xi-Trump summits

Exclusive | Trump envoy Daines to return to Beijing as US and China lock in Xi summit agenda

Montana Republican is helping narrow differences on issues expected to dominate summit planned for September in Washington, source says.

1 Aug 2026 - 6:37AMvideocam

US Senator Steve Daines has emerged as a pivotal backchannel figure between Washington and Beijing. Photo: AP

China-Latin America relations

Chile’s Kast courts China day after US hits exports with forced labour tariff

Chilean president, who campaigned on aligning Chile with Trump, meets Beijing delegation as his party claims Washington cannot be trusted.

1 Aug 2026 - 9:57AMvideocam

2026 Xi-Trump summits

China voices ‘serious concern’ over new US curbs in senior trade talks

Beijing raises objections during high-level call as both sides work towards economic outcomes ahead of an expected Xi-Trump summit.

31 Jul 2026 - 6:16AMvideocam

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Marco Rubio

US military carries out new strikes on Iranian targets as hostilities flare

Iran targets American interests in Gulf states after US forces attack Iranian air defence sites, radar systems and maritime assets.

What to expect as China’s Xi Jinping attends SCO summit in Bishkek

‘Important part of India’: the phrase rattling US-Pakistan ties

Trump says US to take control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuela oil reserves

The US president faces mounting pressure to address high petrol prices as Iran war hits a six-month milestone with no conclusion in sight.

Frustration in China as US freezes green card interviews worldwide

The cancelled appointments mark the latest squeeze in a tightening vice on legal immigration during Donald Trump’s second term.

South Korea pledges to help Trump revive talks with North Korea’s Kim

Trump’s recent olive branch to Kim and criticism ‌of Seoul have raised concerns of a strain on long-standing Asian alliances.

US targets up to 200,000 foreigners in largest-ever mass visa revocation

State Department prepares mass revocation of tourist and business visas for foreigners seeking asylum.

US removes Syria from state sponsor of terrorism list in major diplomatic shift

Washington lifts decades-old designation, removing final barriers to foreign investment following Assad’s fall.

Brazil’s Lula seeks end to ‘baseless tariffs’ in call with Trump

Washington imposed two new sets of tariffs on Brazil in July, a key campaign issue ahead for the left-wing president ahead of the presidential election in October.

US court strikes down Trump visa ban affecting South Asian nations

Federal judge calls 75-country suspension ‘patently unlawful’, ruling officials cannot block visas based on nationality.

Why Japan is walking on eggshells over US sanctions on ICC judge

Tokyo has to tread ‘extremely lightly’ on the issue to avoid jeopardising the US security umbrella on which it relies, analysts say.

US designates academic Min Zin as ‘wrongfully detained’ in China

Case adds friction weeks before Trump-Xi summit, with Washington pressing Beijing over Americans held in the country.

US Democrats rebuke Trump for easing sanctions on Beijing, Hong Kong officials

Lawmakers said sanctions should remain as mainland Chinese, Hong Kong officials were ‘complicit in Beijing’s dismantling of Hong Kong’s autonomy’.

US sanctions International Criminal Court chief Tomoko Akane

Senior ICC lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who was on the prosecution team that sought an arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu, was also targeted.

Rodriguez’s Castro tribute tests Venezuela’s balancing act between US and China

Beijing retains commercial interests in Venezuela even as analysts see Washington curbing its political and strategic influence.

US sets up task force to combat birth tourism, revokes more than 600 visas

US State Department also announced earlier this week it had revoked more than 175,000 visas since Donald Trump returned to office.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Exclusive | US-China ‘Board of Investment’ stalls before expected Trump-Xi meeting

President of US-China Business Council says neither side has ‘initiated consultation process’ or is ready yet for private sector discussions.

Rights groups sue the Trump administration over ICC sanctions

Lawsuit says Trump’s executive order targeting the International Criminal Court for investigating Israeli crimes in Palestine is ‘illegal’.

Russia frees ailing ex-US marine after Putin’s ‘goodwill’ pardon

Robert Gilman was released on humanitarian grounds with no prisoner exchange after intervention by the White House.

US unveils critical minerals deals in latest push to counter China

Trump administration seeks Beijing-free supply chains for key defence materials as Iran war strains US weapons stockpiles.

US sanctions Cuba’s military representative in Beijing over China procurement

Measures target officials and firms accused of obtaining military equipment from China and Russia for Cuba’s armed forces.

New UK foreign minister dodges questions on his past Trump remarks

Ed Miliband in Washington ignores shouted inquiries about calling the US president an ‘idiot, a racist and a misogynist’.

US waging war on Iran not worth the cost, most Americans say in new survey

Marquette Law School poll also found 75 per cent of respondents nationwide did not believe the conflict was worth the cost.

US revokes visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington in escalating row

State Department retaliates against Brasilia over delayed envoy approval as fractious relationship is again tested.

US State Department to close consulates in Canada, Japan and Indonesia: sources

The State Department did not confirm the closures but said it was focused on ensuring that America’s diplomatic footprint was efficient.

Exclusive | Trump envoy Daines to return to Beijing as US and China lock in Xi summit agenda

Montana Republican is helping narrow differences on issues expected to dominate summit planned for September in Washington, source says.

Chile’s Kast courts China day after US hits exports with forced labour tariff

Chilean president, who campaigned on aligning Chile with Trump, meets Beijing delegation as his party claims Washington cannot be trusted.

China voices ‘serious concern’ over new US curbs in senior trade talks

Beijing raises objections during high-level call as both sides work towards economic outcomes ahead of an expected Xi-Trump summit.

Exclusive | US-China ‘Board of Investment’ stalls before expected Trump-Xi meeting