Marco Rubio says America can achieve

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the United States can achieve its objectives in Iran without the use of any ground forces and expects its campaign to end within a matter of weeks, despite the recent deployment of additional forces to the region.

Rubio spoke to reporters before returning to the US after meeting G7 foreign ministers in France to discuss the conflict sparked by the US and Israel late last month.

Rubio said the US is achieving its objectives in the war – which he said is destroying Iran’s missile and drone capabilities and the factories that produce those weapons, as well as its navy and air force – and expects to conclude its campaign in “weeks, not months”.

“We’re ahead of schedule on most of them and we can get them done without any ground forces, without any ground forces,” Rubio said.

Rubio said the recent deployment of thousands of troops to the region was intended to give President Donald Trump options to respond to contingencies in the conflict, but he declined to go into operational details.

“In terms of why the deployment happens, number one, the President has to be prepared for multiple contingencies… We will always be prepared to give the President maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to accommodate contingencies,” he said.

Rubio also said Iran could decide to establish a tolling system for the Strait of Hormuz and stressed that European and Asian countries that benefit from trade through the waterway should contribute to efforts to secure free passage through the Strait after the conflict ends.