Rubio meets Pope Leo at Vatican to discuss Iran nuclear tensions amid US talks

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday for “constructive” talks following rising tensions between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo over the US-Iran conflict.

“Today’s talks were friendly and constructive,” a State Department official told Fox News Digital.

Rubio, a Catholic, held a private meeting with the pope early Thursday morning to reaffirm the Vatican-U.S. partnership. Trump said he sent Rubio to deliver what he called a “very simple” message: Iran should not obtain nuclear weapons.

Rubio and Leo discussed the situation in the Middle East and “issues of common interest in the Western Hemisphere,” according to a statement from the State Department.

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“The meeting underscored the strong relationship between the United States and the Vatican and their shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” spokesman Tommy Pigott said in a statement. he said.

The meeting marked the Trump administration’s first meeting with the pastor in almost a year following the tensions.

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The Pope criticized the war with Iran, calling the conflict a moral issue and warned that rhetoric targeting the Iranian people had crossed a dangerous line.

“Today’s talks were friendly and constructive,” a State Department official told Fox News Digital. (Photo: Simone Risoluti – Vatican Pool/Vatican Media via Getty Images)

“There is also this threat against the entire Iranian people, and it is truly unacceptable,” the Pope said in April. he said. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but more importantly there is a moral issue for the good of the entire population.”

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The comments were apparently a reference to one of Trump’s Truth Social posts: “Tonight an entire civilization will die and never be brought back. I don’t want it to happen but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!”

second. Marco Rubio met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican (Photo: Simone Risoluti – Vatican Pool/Vatican Media via Getty Images)

Trump has taken an aggressive approach to messaging with Iran, telling reporters on Wednesday that he had only one message for the pope.

“From the pope’s point of view, I can say that it’s very simple. Whether I make him happy or not, Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. He seemed to say that it could. And I say that they cannot, because if that happens, the whole world will be held hostage. And we will not allow that,” he said.

When U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived at the San Damaso courtyard at the Vatican before a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV on May 7, 2026, he was greeted by the new Prefect of the Papal Household, Archbishop Petar Rajic. (Andrew Medichini / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Following his meeting with the Pope, Rubio met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to discuss shared priorities regarding the conflict with Iran.

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“They reviewed ongoing humanitarian efforts in the Western Hemisphere and efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East. The discussion reflected the ongoing partnership between the United States and the Vatican in advancing religious freedom,” Pigott said in a statement.

Rubio is set to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday.