U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday the U.S. is nearing the “finish line” in its conflict with Iran, while warning that Tehran was seeking to become the next North Korea.

Rubio told “Hannity” Tuesday that Iran was pursuing intercontinental missiles capable of striking the United States and would have achieved those objectives if President Donald Trump had not launched Operation Epic Fury.

“They were aiming to become the next North Korea, except not a North Korea run by a regime that is troublesome and hard to understand, but an Iran run by radical Shia clerics with intercontinental missiles that could reach the mainland of the United States eventually,” the Secretary of State said.

“That’s what they would have ultimately achieved… had President Trump not taken these steps that he’s taken.”

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Rubio accused Iran’s regime of misleading the public about its ballistic missile capabilities, saying officials “denied” their missiles could reach as far as London.

“[Abbas] Araghchi, their foreign minister, this guy is a liar,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “This guy was on television like a week ago – two weeks ago – denying that Iran had any missiles that could go beyond a certain limitation.“

Trump has recently said the Iran conflict could last only a few more weeks, as Operation Epic Fury nears 33 days, with Rubio echoing that the end is near.

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“We can see the finish line. It’s not today, it’s not tomorrow, but it is coming,” Rubio said.

Rubio has signaled progress in talks with Iran, noting that while Tehran remains publicly defiant, its officials are being more cooperative in private discussions.

But he said President Trump will not be “strung” along like the Biden administration.

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“What President Trump is not going to allow is he’s not going to allow fake negotiations to be used as a delay tactic, to buy more time, to buy themselves space,” Rubio explained.

Iranian leadership remains fluid, according to reports, as Pakistan announced Sunday that it will host talks between the United States and Iran.

Rubio warned that if a deal is not reached, the United States will not stop its military campaign.

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“We’re not going to allow… the failure of talks to impede our ability to defend this country and to protect this country from a real threat,” he declared.

Rubio argued the Iranian regime is made up of people with destructive tendencies.

“This is a regime led by people who believe that it is their calling and their purpose in life is to usher in the end of the world,” he told Fox News. “These people want nuclear weapons.“

He also warned that the United States may reconsider its role in NATO once the U.S.-Iran conflict ends, as the war raised questions about the alliance’s value.

“We are going to reexamine whether or not this alliance, that has served this country well for a while, is still serving that purpose or has it now become a one-way street, where America is simply in a position to defend Europe. But when we need the help of our allies, they’re going to deny us basing rights,” he told Fox News.

President Trump will address the nation Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET to discuss the state of the U.S.-Iran conflict.

Todd Monken was really looking forward to his first picture day as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, when all 32 coaches were scheduled to appear in Phoenix at the NFL annual league meeting this week. 

However, Monken never made it to the group photo, and Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot found out a haircut was to blame. 

Monken set up a haircut specifically for the photo Monday, and he believed he timed the situation perfectly, writing in his agenda that the photo was scheduled for noon Pacific time in Phoenix. 

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But when Monken ran into Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, he learned the photo was already taken. 

It wasn’t that Monken was late. Instead, a coaches meeting, which he skipped, let out early, and they decided to take the photo with all the coaches assembled. Well, not all the coaches. 

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Monken wasn’t the only coach not in the photo, though. Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was also absent from the photo. 

While Monken may have missed the picture, he hasn’t missed sharing his thoughts about his quarterback depth chart heading into his first season on the job in Cleveland. 

All eyes are on Monken and his staff choosing an eventual starter for the Browns, whether it be veteran Deshaun Watson, who could be on track to return in 2026; Shedeur Sanders; or Dillon Gabriel. 

With the Browns’ offseason program beginning April 7, Monken was asked if he has a QB1 in mind. While he didn’t name the depth chart order, he did note that the workload won’t be an even split for the quarterbacks who participate. 

“I don’t expect the reps to be divided equally,” Monken said on Tuesday, per the Akron Beacon Journal. 

That would mean Monken does have an order in mind for his quarterbacks, though he noted he wasn’t yet ready to say who sits atop the list. However, Monken said he and the staff will go off “basically what we’ve seen in the past and where the year ended last year.”

Based on the three quarterbacks, Sanders would likely have the upper hand. Watson was still recovering from his Achilles injury, and ex-head coach Kevin Stefanski had Sanders start the remaining seven games of the season after Gabriel struggled before suffering an injury.

Sanders’ earned his first win against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

But it’s all speculation until the Browns’ program begins next week. 

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Las Vegas may be Fernando Mendoza’s first NFL stop. But if he joins the Raiders as a rookie, his jersey may stay clean early if coach Klint Kubiak has his way.

Mendoza led Indiana to its first College Football Playoff national title in January and is widely projected as the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, a selection held by the Raiders. 

Klint Kubiak was named the Raiders head coach in February, shortly after helping to lead the Seattle Seahawks to the franchise’s second Super Bowl title as offensive coordinator.

Kubiak believes rookie quarterbacks benefit from learning from an experienced player before seeing game action.

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“Ideally, you don’t want him to start from Day 1,” Kubiak told reporters Tuesday. “You’d love him to be able to learn behind somebody. That’s in a perfect world. It doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes they have to play from Day 1, and it’s our job as coaches to get them ready to go. I think it does help the player if they can sit behind a mature adult and watch how they run the show.”

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Aidan O’Connell is the only other quarterback on the Raiders’s roster after the team traded Geno Smith and Kenny Pickett signed with the Panthers. Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson are among the veterans who remain unsigned.

The Raiders’ playoff win drought dates to the 2002 season, when the franchise won the AFC championship. 

Kubiak pointed to Fernando Mendoza’s track record when asked about the quarterback. 

“He’s a national champion. He’s a winner,” Kubiak said of Mendoza. “He’s quick. He’s intelligent.”

On defense, the Raiders still have five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby after his trade to Baltimore was voided because he failed a physical.

Kubiak said he smiled when general manager John Spytek gave him the news about the nixed deal. 

“We got Maxx back. Are you kidding me? That’s great. Our team just got better,” Kubiak said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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