Former Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie told Newsmax on Wednesday that Iran's development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, not its nuclear program alone, poses the more immediate strategic threat to the United States.
On "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE," Wilkie pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's warning Wednesday that Iran is pursuing ICBMs and attempting to develop conventional weapons capable of targeting the U.S.
"It is a much bigger problem," Wilkie said when asked about Iran's missile ambitions. "And for [Benjamin] Netanyahu, when he came to the White House, this was his number one priority.
"He doesn't think that they're within days or weeks of a nuclear weapon. What they are within a reasonably short time of doing is developing ICBM capability."
Wilkie, who served as veterans affairs secretary and undersecretary for defense in President Donald Trump's first term, said the ballistic missile program has become the chief concern of Israel and its prime minister.
"That has been the number one priority for the Israelis, not the nuclear program," he said. "So that's a smokescreen. But the ballistic missile program is certainly one that we should all be wary of."
Trump echoed those concerns in his State of the Union address Tuesday night, saying Iran has "already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they're working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America."
Wilkie added that intelligence indicates Tehran is accelerating its efforts.
"We think we know where these things are," he said. "We do know the Chinese have been offloading components at what's left of Iran's ports. So, they're rapidly trying to do that."
The warnings came as the U.S. and Iran remain engaged in diplomatic talks aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program.
Trump has been pressuring the Islamist regime to reach an agreement on its nuclear program while amassing a significant U.S. military presence in the region. He has threatened strikes if Iran does not comply but said in the State of the Union speech he prefers a diplomatic solution.
Rubio told reporters Wednesday, ahead of the latest round of talks with Iran in Geneva on Thursday, that Iran's pursuit of missile capabilities designed to reach the U.S. represents a growing danger beyond the long-standing concerns regarding uranium enrichment.
"I want you to know that Iran poses a very great threat to the United States and has for a very long time," Rubio said. "Iran possesses a very large number of ballistic missiles. Particularly short-range ballistic missiles that threaten the United States and our bases in the region and our partners in the region and all of our bases in the UAE [United Arab Emirates], Qatar, and Bahrain.
"They also possess naval assets that threaten shipping and try to threaten the U.S. Navy. So, I want everybody to understand that beyond just the nuclear program, they possess these conventional weapons that are solely designed to attack America and attack Americans if they so choose to do so."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.