John Kirby said China, Russia, Iran and North Korea present "unique" threats and challenges to U.S. national security when asked about the "new axis of evil" Monday on FOX News. The- coordinator of strategic communications at the National Security Council reacted to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., referring to these nations as such on "The Story." Kirby said China is a power "very much on the rise" and can challenge the "rules-based order."

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JOHN KIRBY: I think the president would certainly characterize multiple countries, nation-states, here who present unique and pernicious threats and challenges to our national security. Certainly, North Korea is in that group. Obviously, Russia, China certainly present threats and challenges in the Indo-Pacific, but so does Iran. So, I mean, we haven't slapped a name on that group, but those four countries clearly present unique challenges and threats to our ability to continue to lead this rules-based order that's been in place since World War II. 

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He sees each of them in their own way. And again, I would make sure we include Iran in there as well. Each of them – Iran, Russia, China, North Korea. But there's really four nation-states that present very unique challenges to, not only American leadership on the world stage, but to prosperity and stability and security all around the world. And each of them present their own unique sort of sets of threats. For instance, Russia obviously is a power on the decline, but no less dangerous. They don't have the capacity necessarily to change this rules-based order. China, on the other hand, is a power very much on the rise and does have the capacity and capability to challenge that rules-based order. So you have to take each one, sort of, you know, separately. But that doesn't mean that, as he said, it doesn't mean that we're not obviously concerned about what their capabilities are. 

MCCONNELL CALLS CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN NEW 'AXIS OF EVIL' THAT US MUST DEAL WITH: 'THIS IS AN EMERGENCY'

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Sunday deemed China, Russia and Iran the new "axis of evil" amid wars in Ukraine and Israel, while addressing U.S. funding of allies' responses to those duel conflicts.

In a new sit-down interview with "FOX News Sunday" host Shannon Bream, McConnell, the highest-ranking Senate Republican, agreed with fellow Republican Kentuckian Sen. Rand Paul that the $1.5 trillion deficit is "entirely too big." But while Paul remarked last month that the U.S. under the Biden administration was borrowing heavily from China just to send aid to Ukraine, McConnell instead emphasized Sunday that the deficit also expanded during the prior administration under former President Donald Trump. 

"You have to respond to conditions that actually exist that are a threat to the United States. The Iranians are a threat to us as well. And so, this is an emergency. It’s an emergency that we step up and deal with this axis of evil – China, Russia, Iran – because it’s an immediate threat to the United States," McConnell said. 

FOX News' Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

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