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Secretary Rubio and Prime Minister Netanyahu Deliver Joint Statements to the Press in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025

February 16, 2025 · U.S. Department of State · 0:11:33

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered joint statements to the press in Jerusalem, Israel, on February 16, 2025, during Rubio’s first trip to Israel as Secretary, according to the State Department broadcast. Netanyahu said the two had held a productive discussion in which no issue was more important than Iran, that Israel and America stand shoulder-to-shoulder countering the Iranian threat, and that both agreed Iran’s ayatollahs must not have nuclear weapons and that Iran’s regional aggression must be rolled back; he also thanked Rubio for U.S. assistance in securing the release of three more hostages the previous day and for America’s backing of Israel’s Gaza policy, as stated in the broadcast.

Why it matters

The February Jerusalem statements are the opening public artifact of Rubio’s Middle East diplomacy — the Iran and Gaza positions of the new administration stated jointly with Israel’s prime minister, weeks into the term, against which the year’s later Gaza and Iran record is measured.

Sources: U.S. Department of State, official upload (embedded above). Remarks as delivered; full transcript at state.gov.