'Iran war will conclude in weeks': Rubio says US can achieve objectives without ground troops
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Iran war will conclude in weeks': Rubio says US can achieve objectives without ground troops")
Photograph: (AFP)
The top US diplomat was in Paris to participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Summit, where he came under intense pressure from Washington’s allies over rising crude prices due to the war in West Asia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday (March 27) said American military operations in Iran are expected to conclude at an appropriate time and will not stretch for months, adding that Washington can achieve its objectives without a ground invasion.
“When we are done with them here in the next couple of weeks, they will be weaker than they have been in recent history,” Rubio told reporters in Paris after G7 talks.
The top US diplomat was in Paris to participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Summit, where he came under intense pressure from Washington’s allies over rising crude prices due to the war in West Asia. The conflict was triggered by a joint US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran aimed at targeting Tehran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
In retaliation, Iran targeted US bases across the region and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for nearly 20 per cent of global crude oil and gas shipments. This has led to a sharp rise in oil prices and forced countries to take emergency measures to address the emerging energy crisis.
Rubio asserted that Washington has made progress with allies in countering Iranian threats, including discussions on “tolling” vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. He emphasised that the world must have a plan to deal with Tehran’s actions.
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“Not only is this illegal, but it’s also unacceptable, it’s dangerous to the world, and it’s important that the world has a plan to confront it,” he said.
Rubio claimed that while Iran has yet to formally respond to proposals aimed at ending the conflict, it has sent “messages” indicating some interest in diplomacy.
“We haven’t gotten it yet,” he said, adding, “We’ve had an exchange of messages and indications from the Iranian system, whatever is left of it, about a willingness to talk about certain things.”
These remarks came as Donald Trump announced a pause in the “energy plant destruction” phase of military operations from Friday until April 6. Trump said talks with Iran were progressing well and described the 10-day extension as a gesture of goodwill.
Amid growing criticism of Israel over settler violence, Rubio stated that he expects Israel to take action against extremist settlers in the West Bank targeting Palestinians.
“I think you’ll see the government there do something about it,” Rubio added.
