ABNA24 - The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Vatican, Hujjat-ul-Islam Mohammad Hussein Mokhtari, in an exclusive note for the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), wrote regarding the meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, that this encounter, rather than being a sign of political convergence between Washington and the Vatican, is considered an effort to contain the widening gap between the two sides concerning warmongering, Middle East crises, Iran’s nuclear program, and the role of ethics in the international system. The meeting between Pope Leo XIV and Marco Rubio, the United States Secretary of State, held on May 7, 2026, at the Vatican, can be analyzed within the context of an intensely tense international environment—one in which issues such as Iran’s nuclear program, Middle Eastern wars, humanitarian crises, and geopolitical rivalries in Latin America are simultaneously reshaping the global order.
This meeting cannot be regarded merely as a ceremonial diplomatic event. Rather, it should be understood as part of a process of managing tensions between two actors operating with fundamentally different logics in international politics: on the one hand, the Vatican as a normative actor with an ethical–legal approach advocating human dignity and global peace; and on the other, the United States as a strategic power with a security-centered and so‑called realist approach, ostensibly pursuing national interests and sidelining rivals with remarkable haste in achieving its objectives—going so far as to place genocide and assassination at the forefront of the initial steps of its global dominance.
A review of the relevant documents and statements indicates that the meeting produced no formal agreements or concrete decisions. Instead, its primary function appears to have been the stabilization of communication channels and the prevention of further political and symbolic escalation between the two sides. The significance of this becomes clearer when considering that the meeting followed a period of verbal tensions between the U.S. president and the Pope—tensions that largely centered on differing interpretations of the Vatican’s moral role regarding Iran’s nuclear file and the legitimacy of the use of force in international relations.
This encounter should therefore be viewed as more than a routine diplomatic meeting. Given the recent strained atmosphere between Donald Trump and the Pope, the visit resembled more of a “relationship-repair mission” than an ordinary diplomatic engagement. Nearly all major Western media outlets have emphasized this point.
Two important aspects of the meeting merit attention. First, the primary focus of the discussions was likely international wars and crises—particularly Ukraine, the Middle East crisis, the war imposed on Iran, and the Palestinian issue, especially Gaza. The Vatican’s official statement was deliberately worded with caution, emphasizing the “need for tireless efforts toward peace.” In Vatican diplomatic language, such phrasing is typically used when serious disagreements exist behind closed doors, but the parties seek to avoid making the crisis more explicit.
Second, Rubio was not a random choice for this mission. He is a Catholic politician and considered one of the more acceptable figures for the Vatican within the Trump administration. Washington is aware that Trump’s recent verbal attacks on the Pope have pushed relations with the Vatican into an unusually tense phase. Some Western analysts have even described the situation as an “unprecedented rift between the White House and the Vatican.”
Regarding Iran, this issue appears to be one of the central points of disagreement. In recent months, the Pope has repeatedly spoken out against the expansion of war and the logic of military escalation, employing ethical and humanitarian language. In contrast, the Trump camp and segments of the Republican Party—including Rubio himself—have adopted a far more aggressive stance toward Iran. Rubio is widely recognized as a prominent hawkish figure in U.S. foreign policy and has previously supported a maximum-pressure strategy and even the military option against Iran. For this reason, it is highly likely that several significant messages were exchanged during this meeting:
- The Vatican has sought to caution the United States against further expanding the war in the Middle East and entering into a broader conflict with Iran.
- Concurrently, the U.S. has requested that the Vatican refrain from adopting positions that Washington perceives as “undermining Western deterrence.”
- Regarding Ukraine, discussions revolved around the trajectory of peace negotiations, Europe’s role, and the Vatican’s concerns about the war becoming protracted.
It is noteworthy that the Vatican today is more than just a religious institution; it functions as a geopolitical soft power actor. In numerous crises, particularly when official channels between states are locked, the Vatican often plays the role of an informal mediator or a covert communication channel. Therefore, the U.S. Secretary of State’s personal visit to the Vatican, especially amidst the peak of verbal tensions between President Trump and the Pope, signals Washington’s desire to prevent the rift from escalating into a strategic crisis.
From the perspective of political symbolism, the gift of an “olive branch” from the Pope to Rubio was highly significant, interpreted by the media as a Vatican indication of a desire to de-escalate tensions.
In terms of content analysis, the most significant divergence between the two sides pertains to international security and Iran’s nuclear program. Based on its official positions, the Vatican emphasizes the necessity of complete nuclear disarmament and the strengthening of multilateral non-proliferation regimes. Beyond deeming the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) important, it advocates for broad accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). In contrast, the United States, within its deterrence logic, pursues the objective of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons through political pressure and security tools—while itself not adhering to the principles it advocates. This fundamental difference highlights two distinct paradigms in understanding global security.
In conclusion, the meeting between the Pope and Marco Rubio should be interpreted not as a foreign policy turning point, but as a mechanism for managing tensions in the relationship between a normative power and a strategic power. Within this framework, the Vatican fulfills the role of an ethical, soft-power actor striving to steer global politics toward disarmament and multilateralism, whereas the United States continues to operate within a security-centric, so-called deterrence paradigm.
The ultimate outcome of this interaction was not convergence, but rather the controlled stabilization of differences, preventing them from devolving into an overt diplomatic crisis, and it served as a repair effort by the United States. Furthermore, given the proximity to the U.S. Congressional elections, this action can be interpreted as an effort by the Republican Party to retain its Catholic voters and maintain its majority in Congress.
In summary, this meeting was more accurately characterized as “managing the U.S.-Vatican relations crisis” rather than a routine encounter. Iran and the risk of escalating Middle Eastern warfare were, to a large extent, central discussion points. The Vatican is concerned about the logic of escalating tensions and belligerence in Trump’s foreign policy. The U.S., in turn, is concerned about the Pope’s moral and media influence over Catholic public opinion, particularly in Europe and even within America.
Consequently, Rubio played the role of a “calming diplomat” to ensure that the personal animosity between Trump and the Pope did not devolve into a strategic schism between Washington and the Vatican.
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