US Secretary Rubio Says Goals in Iran Achievable Without Ground Forces

WASHINGTON (Afghan Verified) -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States can achieve its goals in Iran without deploying ground forces.

Rubio said the US will destroy Iran's navy, air force and significantly eliminate its missile launchers to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons. "We will destroy their navy, destroy their air forces, and significantly eliminate their missile launchers so they cannot obtain nuclear weapons. We are ahead of schedule on most goals and can reach the goals without any ground forces," Rubio said.

He predicted the operations would end within weeks. Rubio noted that more than 1,000 additional US forces are prepared for deployment to the region as President Trump prepares for multiple contingencies.

Rubio addressed concerns over potential diversions of Ukrainian weapons to the Middle East, saying no such transfers have occurred yet but they may in the future. He also mentioned a planned trip by sanctioned Russian lawmakers to the region, which was arranged beforehand.

Despite intelligence reports that Russia is sharing information on US force movements with Iran, Rubio said Moscow has not limited US performance in the conflict.