Dave Rubin’s latest show captured a powerful moment when Senator Marco Rubio calmly told a room what too many in Washington refuse to say: the Iranian people are not the same as the brutalocracy that rules them. Rubin’s roundtable made clear Rubio drew a sharp line between proud, freedom-loving Iranians and the tyrants in Tehran who crush dissent while exporting chaos.
Across Iran, brave citizens have taken to the streets to demand an end to clerical tyranny, and the world has watched as a vicious crackdown left a devastating toll on human life. Reports from multiple outlets describe mass arrests, a heavy-handed security response, and a humanitarian crisis that exposes the moral bankruptcy of the regime.
Meanwhile, Tehran’s threats against neighboring countries and Western interests make it crystal clear why American resolve matters; the regime isn’t merely repressing its own people, it’s menacing the region. Regional reporting shows Iranian officials warning neighbors and signaling willingness to strike U.S. bases if provoked, a reminder that weakness invites aggression.
President Trump’s blunt, American-first posture — saying he had been told executions were halted and publicly pressing Tehran — changed the calculations and forced a rare, if temporary, pause in the regime’s worst plans. That reality deserves praise, not the reflexive criticism we hear from the usual suspects who would rather lecture than defend liberty.
What was striking on Rubin’s show was the contrast between Republicans like Rubio who publicly defend Iranian dissidents and the deafening silence from many on the left, particularly on college campuses that once claimed to champion human rights. Conservatives should be proud to stand unequivocally with those risking everything for freedom while calling out the cowardice of the chattering classes.
This is a moment for America to lead with clarity: back the people who want freedom, isolate the ayatollahs who murder it, and stop letting moral equivalence hand authoritarian regimes the upper hand. Rubio’s words were more than rhetoric — they were a reminder of what true conservatism looks like: unapologetic support for liberty, fierce opposition to tyranny, and solidarity with those who risk their lives for both.
