Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that the U.S. is targeting Iran's military capabilities and expects to achieve its objectives in "a matter of weeks, not months."
Rubio made the remarks while appearing on ABC's "Good Morning America" as tensions in the region continue.
He said the administration's strategy under President Donald Trump focuses on reducing Iran's missile production and naval capacity.
ABC host George Stephanopoulos asked Rubio about Trump's reported comments on potentially targeting oil facilities on Kharg Island.
"Let's talk about the President's comments overnight, talking about taking the oil on Kharg Island. How would he do this?" Stephanopoulos said. "Why would he do this? Won't it take ground troops?"
Rubio responded by outlining what he described as the broader objectives of the operation.
"First of all, it's important to remember the objectives of this operation from the very beginning," Rubio said. "We are destroying Iran's navy.
"We are destroying their ability — their missile launchers by a significant percentage. We're going to wipe out their defense industrial base, meaning their ability to make new missiles and new drones in the future, because it posed a great threat to the region."
Rubio said Iran is "at its weakest point" and argued that delaying action could let Tehran rebuild its capabilities.
"That was an unacceptable risk, it needed to be addressed, and President Trump is addressing it," he added.
He also addressed Iran's threats to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Now, they are making threats about controlling the Hormuz Straits in perpetuity, creating a tolling system and the like — that's not going to be allowed to happen," Rubio said.
He said the U.S. has "a number of options available to him ... 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."
Rubio said the administration believes its objectives can be met soon.
"We are going to achieve our objectives in a matter of weeks, not months," he said.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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