Meeting Secretary Rubio’s Three Foreign Policy Criteria

Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined the criteria for every foreign policy decision his State Department will make under the leadership of President Donald Trump. He said,  “Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, every policy we pursue must be justified by the answer to one of three questions:  Does it make America safer?  Does it make America stronger?  Or does it make America more prosperous?”

Secretary Rubio implied the answer to at least one of the questions must be “yes” in order for the United States to implement the policy. Here’s why providing Maximum Support to the Iranian people with the goal of helping them bring about a democratic transition in Iran meets not just one, but all three of the criteria:

A secular and democratic Iran represents a critical opportunity for the United States to achieve its long-term policy goals for the Middle East; enhancing regional stability and ensuring U.S. national security.

Bolstering U.S. Security Interests

• Removes the primary source of instability and threats to U.S. interests in the Middle East.

• Eliminates Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism and weakens the "Axis of Resistance" to a level of irrelevancy.

• Dismantles the regime’s illegal nuclear program, neutralizing a direct danger to the international community and the principles of non-proliferation.

Addressing Regional Instability

• The destruction of the “Axis of Resistance” will allow war torn areas in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen to focus on developing their domestic institutions and resuming autonomous rule.

Advancing U.S. Strategic and Domestic Priorities

• Facilitates lasting peace through expanded partnerships, including the Abraham Accords.

• Reduces U.S. engagement in regional conflicts, enabling a stronger focus on domestic challenges.

• The only way to prevent the United States from being entangled in the region again, is to stop/tackle the largest sponsor of transnational terrorism at its source, the Islamic Republic.

A free and democratic Iran enables the United States to fortify its global standing, reduce the burden of countering Iranian proxies, and refocus strategic resources on other vital challenges, notably China.

Refocusing Strategic Resources on Global Priorities

• Diminishes the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence in the Middle East. The CCP’s support for the Islamic Republic, through economic and security agreements and illegal oil exports, has served as a financial lifeline for the regime. By stunting this influence, the United States would safeguard the region from growing Chinese interests.

  • With the Islamic Republic no longer funding and arming proxies across the region, the United States could reduce its involvement in conflicts driven by Iranian-backed destabilization. This would free up military and diplomatic resources to address broader global challenges.

Strengthening Regional Alliances

• Bolsters the United States’ partnerships in the Middle East by aligning with the values and interests of regional allies, such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

  • These alliances could work together to address shared challenges, including counterterrorism, maritime security, and regional stability, reducing the burden on the United States.

  • By removing a destabilizing regime, the U.S. would create the conditions for enduring peace and expanded partnerships, such as deepening the Abraham Accords or establishing the “Cyrus Accords”.

Reducing the Economic Burden of Security Threats

• Eliminates the primary source of proxy-driven instability, allowing the United States. to scale back these expenditures.

• With a democratic Iran ensuring stability in the Strait of Hormuz, the United States would be less reliant on costly naval deployments to protect global energy supplies. This would strengthen U.S. energy security and lower the financial burden of maintaining regional stability.

A liberated Iran paves the way for significant economic opportunities, fostering deeper trade partnerships, energy collaboration, and investment prospects that will bolster prosperity for both nations.

Enables Iranian-American Economic Cooperation

• Opens up significant opportunities for America’s private sector to engage in watershed agreements with previously state-controlled entities.

  • Iran possesses a highly educated and skilled population with over 3.1 million university students—representing untapped human capital that U.S. companies can partner with.

• Establishes a new strategic energy partner for the United States as the previous regime’s petrochemical sanctions are lifted; acting as bulwark against energy sector instability.

Unlocking Mutual Benefits Through U.S. FDI

• Resumption of American foreign direct investment in Iran, as seen in Singapore, Japan, and South Korea, following WW2, can directly facilitate positive economic outcomes for both nations.

• American firms would be the first to be able to access one of the last remaining untapped industrialized markets in the world; their competition would be Chinese and Russian firms.

  • Pre-1979, over 50,000 Americans worked in Iran and over 50 Western universities had established a presence in Iran, with over 3 billion USD (in 1979 USD) in civilian trade conducted annually; this value can be returned to benefit both the people of Iran and the United States.