Rubio: US aims to destroy Iran’s air force, navy, and missile factories

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio detailed the aims of the ongoing American operation against Iran, emphasising the destruction of Iran’s military and industrial capabilities, Caliber.Az reports, citing his remarks on the US State Department's X account.

“The objectives of this operation are destroying Iran’s navy, their defense industrial base, and their ability to make missile launchers. Imagine Iran two years from now, if they had thousands of more missiles. That was an unacceptable risk for President Trump,” Rubio said.

He highlighted the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, warning against Iranian attempts to impose control. “Iran is making threats about controlling the Strait of Hormuz and creating a tolling system. That’s not going to be allowed to happen. There is a way forward here to achieve our objectives in a matter of weeks, not months. The world should take note of Iran’s threats to set up a system in the Strait where they control who goes through international waters. They have more at stake there than us. Very little of our energy comes through there. The rest of the world gets a lot more.”

Rubio further stressed the progress of the operation. “What I want the American people to know is that fundamentally what this operation is about is the destruction of Iran’s air force and their navy, which have largely been achieved, and the destruction of their factories, which we’re well on our way to achieving.”

Addressing Iran’s leadership, Rubio said: “Iran’s past refusal to walk away from their nuclear ambitions and stop supporting terrorist groups shows they are lunatics. They are religious zealots who can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon because of their apocalyptic vision of the future. Imagine if instead of spending billions of dollars supporting terrorists or weapons, Iran had spent that money helping the people of Iran. They would have a much different country. The people of Iran are incredible people. The people who lead them are the problem. If there are new people now in charge with a more reasonable vision of the future, it would be good news for the entire world. But we must be prepared if that isn’t the case.”

Rubio also underlined the US preference for diplomacy while acknowledging potential challenges. “We always prefer to settle things through diplomacy. But we also have to be prepared for the fact that effort might fail. We are dealing with a 47-year-old regime that still has a lot of people involved in it who aren't necessarily big fans of diplomacy or peace,” he concluded.

By Vugar Khalilov