Photo: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images via AFP
Photo: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/Getty Images via AFP

National Security

Vance vs. Rubio: Iran Edition

The two are pursuing different approaches to one of the world’s most intractable diplomatic issues.

First published in The Atlantic on June 27, 2026.

by Vivian Salama, The Atlantic
July 2, 2026 | reading time: 10 Min.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has for months been working to seal an agreement between the Israeli and Lebanese governments to clamp down on Hezbollah and allow Israel to withdraw its forces from Southern Lebanon. Then, last week, the future of Lebanon appeared front and center in the new agreement between the United States and Iran championed by Vice President Vance—giving Tehran a big say in Lebanon’s future.

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