No Need for Further Military Action Against Iran: Marco Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said there is no need for any further US military action against Iran. He claimed that Iran has been so weakened by US economic pressure that it is now facing such a severe crisis that further military strikes are unnecessary.
Mr. Rubio made the remarks in a speech at the national convention of the conservative legal organisation Federalist Society in Washington. His comments echoed remarks made by US President Donald Trump earlier this week, when he said that “militarily, the war is effectively over.”
Speaking at the event, Mr. Rubio said, “Frankly, the economic pressure and hardship we have imposed on the Iranian regime are so severe at this point that there is no need for further military action. We have weakened them considerably. However, I believe our real victory will be ensuring that Iran can never develop nuclear weapons.”
The US secretary of state openly acknowledged that American citizens themselves were also facing economic pressure as a result of the ongoing conflict. The war has driven up energy prices worldwide and negatively affected almost every sector of the global economy.
Defending President Trump’s decision, Mr. Rubio said it would have been easy for him to ignore the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear programme, avoid an unpopular war and “leave it for the next generation or someone else” to deal with. However, the president had decided not to leave the issue unresolved.
Mr. Rubio added, “But this is hard. It is not easy at all. And oftentimes, actions like this bring about various forms of hardship, including economic hardship. We recognise that.”
Source: Associated Press (AP)
