US could meet Iran war objectives in weeks, says Rubio

Washington
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday that Washington was close to achieving its objectives in Iran “in a matter of weeks”, adding that President Donald Trump had “a number of options available” to prevent Iran from controlling the Strait of Hormuz.
During an interview with ABC News, Rubio said that the US was focused on the “destruction” of Iran’s air force, navy and factories where they make all their weapons, as well as the substantial reduction in the number of missiles they possess.
“All of those objectives are being met, on or ahead of schedule and should be able to achieve in a matter of weeks,” he said.
On the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Rubio said Trump had “a number of options available” to prevent Iran from imposing control or a tolling system on the vital waterway.
“The president has a number of options available to him if he so chooses to prevent that from happening. … Obviously, I’m not going to discuss what those options are, and we’re not going to discuss military tactics,” he added.
He separately stated that Trump “always prefers diplomacy and always prefers to reach a result” regarding the war against Iran.
“There are direct messages and talks taking place between parties inside Iran and the United States, primarily through intermediaries,” Rubio said, according to a preview of an exclusive interview published on Al Jazeera’s website.
“The Iranian regime has chosen to spend its country’s wealth to support Hezbollah, Hamas and Shia militias inside Iraq and to needlessly threaten its neighbours,” he said.