Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that the United States should strike Iran rather than in the future. His comments came in response to Democrats who claimed Iran posed no imminent threat to the US. Rubio argued that Iran is run by "religious fanatic lunatics" who aim to develop nuclear weapons and use them in a program of missiles and drones. He argued that this was the right time to strike Iran, and that the world will be safer when these radical clerics no longer have access to these weapons. The Iranian government has been criticized for its aggressive stance towards America and its allies in the region, including Israel.