Rubio Outlines US Strategy to Counter Iran’s Imminent Attacks

By Staff Reporter

United States Secretary of State Mr. Marco Rubio explained why the U.S. attacked Iran over the weekend. He spoke to journalists on Monday, prior to briefing congressional leaders on Capitol Hill about Iran.

In a press statement sent to Caprivi Vision, Mr. Rubio had this to say: 

SECRETARY RUBIO: The United States conducted this operation with a very clear goal in mind. I haven’t had a chance to see much reporting. I don’t understand what the confusion is. Let me explain it to you, and I’ll do it once again as clearly as possible. Perhaps you’ll report it that way.

The United States is conducting an operation to eliminate the threat of Iran’s short-range ballistic missiles and the threat posed by their navy, particularly to naval assets. That is what it is focused on right now, and it’s doing so quite successfully. I’ll leave it to the Pentagon and the Department of War to discuss the tactics behind that and the progress that’s being made. That is the clear objective of this mission.

The second question I’ve been asked is: Why now? Well, there are two reasons why now. The first is, it was abundantly clear that if Iran came under attack by anyone—the United States, Israel, or anyone—they were going to respond, and respond against the United States. The orders had been delegated to the field commanders. It was automatic, and in fact, it proved true because within an hour of the initial attack on the leadership compound, the missile forces in the south and, for that matter, in the north had already been activated to launch. Indeed, those had already been pre-positioned.

The third is the assessment that was made: if we stood and waited for that attack to come first, before we hit them, we would suffer much higher casualties. And so the President made a very wise decision: We knew there would be an Israeli action, that it would precipitate an attack against American forces, and that if we didn’t preemptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties and perhaps even more fatalities. We would then be answering questions about why we knew that and didn’t act.

Going back to the purpose, the purpose of this is to destroy that missile capability. Why does Iran want that ballistic missile capability? What they are trying to do, and have been trying to do for a very long time, is build a conventional weapons capability as a shield behind which they can hide. This means there would come a point where they have so many conventional missiles and drones, and can inflict so much damage, that no one can do anything about their nuclear program. That is what they were trying to do: to put themselves in a place of immunity where the damage they can inflict on the region would be so high that no one could do anything about their nuclear program or their nuclear ambitions.

They are producing, by some estimates, over 100 of these missiles a month. Compare that to the six or seven interceptors that can be built a month. They can build a hundred of these a month, not to mention the thousands of one-way attack drones that they also have. They’ve been doing this for a very long time. And by the way, they’ve been doing it under sanctions. You see the attacks they’re conducting right now. They’re attacking airports, hotels, and not just military bases; they’re attacking our embassies directly. They’re also attacking facilities that have nothing to do with war or the military.

And that’s a weakened Iran, an Iran despite years of sanctions. Imagine their capabilities to inflict damage on us a year or a year and a half from now. It’s an unacceptable risk, especially in the hands of a regime run by radical clerics. The Ayatollah is a radical—was a radical cleric. That entire regime is led by radical clerics who don’t make geopolitical decisions; rather, they make decisions based on theology—their view of theology, which is an apocalyptic one. That has to be taken very seriously.

So that was the purpose of this operation. That’s what it’s focused on. As the President said earlier today, it is on, or ahead of, schedule. I will defer to the Department of War to discuss the progress being made at a tactical level. But it was the right decision and an important decision for the safety and security of the world.

QUESTION:  Does Congress have to weigh in? Does Congress have to weigh in? Is the President declaring war, and does Congress have to weigh in?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  No. Well, what—

QUESTION:  And was there an imminent threat? Did you tell lawmakers about an imminent threat?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  There absolutely was an imminent threat. We knew that if Iran was attacked (and we believed they would be attacked), they would immediately come after us. We were not going to sit there and absorb a blow before responding. The Department of War assessed that if we had waited for them to hit us first after an attack (even if by someone else, like Israel, hit them first), we would suffer more casualties and deaths. We acted proactively and defensively to prevent them from inflicting greater damage. Had we not done so, there would have been hearings on Capitol Hill about why we knew this would happen yet failed to act preemptively, leading to more casualties and loss of life.

QUESTION:  Are you saying the U.S. was forced to strike because of an impending Israeli action?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  No. Well, I would say two things. Number one: No matter what, this operation ultimately needed to happen. That’s the question of why now. But this operation needed to happen because Iran, in about a year or a year and a half, would cross the line of immunity, meaning they would have so many short-range missiles and drones that no one could do anything about it because they could hold the whole world hostage.

Look at the damage they’re doing now. This is a weakened Iran. Imagine a year from now. So, that had to happen. Obviously, we were aware of Israeli intentions and understood what that would mean for us, so we had to be prepared to act. But this had to happen no matter what.

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, President Trump said overnight that his top choices to now run Iran were killed in the strikes. Does the United States have a firm plan for how they intend to handle this power vacuum in Iran to ensure that an IRG hardliner does not take power?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, two things, and two things can be true. Number one is our mission and focus is the destruction of their ballistic missile capabilities and their ability to manufacture them, as well as the threat their navy poses to global shipping. That is our objective.

That said, we would not mind, nor would we be heartbroken, and we hope that the Iranian people can overthrow this government and establish a new future for their country. We would love for that to be possible. But the objective of this mission is the destruction of their ballistic missile capabilities and their naval capabilities.

Yes.

QUESTION:  Based on that, are you saying that the U.S. has no responsibility, no plan, to at least play a role in whatever government comes next?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  I mean, we might. We’ll see how circumstances play out, but I’m telling you what the objectives of this operation are. The objectives of this operation are to destroy their ballistic missile capability and make sure they can’t rebuild it, and that they can’t hide behind that to pursue a nuclear program. That’s the objective of the mission.

That said—and to be abundantly clear—we would love for there to be an Iran not governed by radical Shia clerics. As I’ve said repeatedly for years, the leadership of that country does not reflect the people of Iran, and I think that’s been apparent in the protests you’ve seen. If there’s something we can do to help them down the road, we’d obviously be open to it, but that is not the objective. The objective of this mission is the destruction of their ballistic missile capability.

QUESTION:  Mr. Secretary, regime change has not gone well for the United States.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  The what now?

QUESTION:  Regime change has not gone well for the United States for many decades. How do you assure the American public that things will not get worse for the next regime that replaces the Ayatollah?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, we would love to see this regime replaced. And ultimately, as the President has said—because—

QUESTION:  But how do you know that?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  No, no, but let me finish my answer. As the President has said, he would love for the people of Iran to use this as an opportunity to rise up and remove these leaders. They’ve wanted to remove them for a long time. We’ve seen successive waves of protests, and we’ve seen them slaughter people. Okay? But the objective of this mission is to ensure they don’t have these weapons that can threaten us and our allies in the region. That’s why we’re doing what we’re doing now.

And while we would love to see a new regime, the bottom line is no matter who governs that country a year from now, they’re not going to have these ballistic missiles and drones to threaten us. That’s the objective of this mission: to deny them the ability to use ballistic missiles to threaten their neighbors, our bases, our presence in the region, and ultimately, to prevent them from using it as a shield behind which they can pursue their nuclear weapons ambition. We were not going to let them hide behind that, and that’s why this was such a critical mission to undertake now, while they were at their weakest point, and not a year from now, when they could inflict even more damage and perhaps already be behind that point of immunity.

Right here, behind—you, and then you. Yes.

QUESTION:  Your critics in Congress have said they should have a role, be able to weigh in here, and that there will be war powers resolution votes in Congress later this week.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Okay.

QUESTION:  Why not notify Congress ahead of this? And does Congress still have—

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, we did notify Congress. We notified the Gang of Eight and the congressional leadership. There’s no law that requires us to do that; the law states we have to notify them 48 hours after beginning hostilities. We’ve done that. I believe the notification went today. But we did notify members of Congress in advance. We can’t notify 535 members of Congress, and—

QUESTION:  They vote to authorize the war, though.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, Congress can vote on whatever it wants. But people keep saying that there’s no law that requires the President to have done anything regarding this. To begin with, no presidential administration has ever accepted the War Powers Act as constitutional—neither Republican nor Democratic presidents. That said, we have complied with the 48-hour notification, and we’re here today. I’ve done more Gang of Eight briefings than I did in the four years that Biden was president and I was a member of the Gang of Eight. All of that said, we have complied with the law 100 percent and will continue to comply with it. We’ve done the notification officially to Congress, but we did notify members of Congress. We just can’t notify 535 people. That’s not possible. But we did brief the Gang of Eight, twice. I briefed them last week, and then I called them the night before the operation.

QUESTION:  Can you tell us, Mr. Secretary, what the administration knows about the strike on a building in southern Iran? The Iranians are saying it’s a school, and there are reports of large numbers of civilians, including children, killed?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  I’ve seen those reports. I don’t have the details myself, so I would refer you—not because I’m trying to avoid your question, but because I don’t want to get it wrong. The Department of War would be investigating that, if it was our strike. I would refer your question to them, and I’ll make sure they’re aware of it. But we’d like to know as well.

QUESTION:  The Iranians say it was an American—an American missile.

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Clearly, the United States would not deliberately target a school. Our objectives are missiles (both the ability to manufacture and launch them) and one-way attack drones. That would be our focus. We would have no interest, and frankly no incentive, to target civilian infrastructure. The Iranians, on the other hand, are targeting civilian infrastructure. You all have seen it, I’m sure. They’re hitting hotels, embassies, airports, and oil infrastructure.

QUESTION:  But if children were killed, what would your response be?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, it would be very tragic, but I can’t speak to the details because I just don’t have them. It would be a tragic outcome if that has happened. I don’t have the details as to what led to it. But what is clear is that the United States would not deliberately target a school. They are, on the other hand, deliberately targeting civilians, as you’ve seen. Why? Because they are a terroristic regime. They sponsor and participate in terrorism.

QUESTION:  Mr. Rubio, what’s your message to Americans concerned about rising energy prices, given today’s spiking oil prices?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Yes. We knew that going in would be a factor. And so we have a program in place that will begin to be implemented by Secretaries Wright and Bessent. We discussed this program last night and again this morning. And starting tomorrow, you will see us rolling out those phases to mitigate against that. Obviously, markets are going to react to news about what’s happening. And again, a reminder: Think about it, okay? This terroristic regime, led by radical clerics, potentially has the ability to shut off 20 percent of global energy. That’s the kind of leverage they have because of their navy. We’re going to destroy their navy.

But there is a plan in place. We anticipated this could be an issue, and Secretaries Wright and Bessent will begin rolling out those steps tomorrow to mitigate against the potential impact.

I’ve got to do this briefing, so I’ve got a couple more. Yes.

QUESTION:  Do you anticipate putting boots on the ground, and how long do you anticipate the conflict to last?

SECRETARY RUBIO:  Well, let me say two things about it. Number one, the President always has the option to undertake whatever operations he decides as the Commander-in-Chief. That said, we believe the objective we have set for this mission—the destruction of their ballistic missile capabilities, both launch and manufacturing—can be achieved without ground forces. Right now, we’re not postured for ground forces. Obviously, the President has those options; he’s never going to rule anything out. But right now, our focus is on the destruction of their ballistic missile launchers, stockpiles, and manufacturing capability, as well as their one-way attack drones and navy, because of the threat they pose to global shipping.

All right, I can only do one more. Right there, in the middle. Yes, sir.

QUESTION:  Is there a diplomatic exchange going on right now between the U.S. and Iran? Any exchanges whatsoever, outside of—

SECRETARY RUBIO:  No, not at this time. Look, we always have people who reach out from inside governments. You don’t know if they’re authorized or not. They’re suffering a tremendous amount of damage. Honestly—again, I’m not going to give away the details of our tactical efforts—but the hardest hits from the U.S. military are yet to come. The next phase will be even more punishing for Iran than it is right now. Someone was screaming, “How long will it take?” I don’t know how long it will take. We have objectives. We will do this as long as it takes to achieve those objectives, and we will achieve them. The world will be a safer place when we’re done with this operation.

All right? Thank you, everyone. Thank you.

SOURCE: Global Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State