Rubio tagged the January 3 operation in Venezuela as a necessary response to what he described as a serious national security threat in the Western Hemisphere. He told senators the action had made the United States safer and said the U.S. was now working with interim authorities in Caracas to stabilize the country after years of turmoil. Rubio dismissed those concerns, saying tensions within NATO over Greenland were easing and that negotiations were underway to address Trump’s demands. He said Chinese President Xi Jinping’s objective of reunification would proceed regardless of developments in Venezuela or other global flashpoints. Addressing Iran, Rubio said there was no active plan to launch military strikes despite renewed threats from Trump.