Rubio on Iran war: It’s Difficult, Inflicts Economic Pains

By Staff, Agencies 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump could have taken the easy way out by ignoring the "danger of Iran's nuclear program" and dodging an unpopular war, choosing to "leave it for the next person to worry about."

Instead, Rubio underlined that the president decided he was "not going to leave it unaddressed."

"But it's hard," Rubio claimed. "It's not easy, and it's difficult. And oftentimes it inflicts, you know, pain, economic pain and otherwise. So, we recognize that."

Speaking to the Federalist Society, Rubio claimed that Washington no longer needs to strike Iran again, because the financial damage already imposed on the weakened Islamic Republic is severe enough.

"And right now, frankly, the economic pain that we are inflicting on that regime is so great that there's no need for military action because we've weakened them so much," Rubio alleged. "But I think victory is ensuring that they never have a nuclear weapon."

His remarks echo those of Trump, who said earlier in the week that the war "militarily is effectively over."

Rubio also conceded that the war has hurt ordinary Americans, pushing up the price of fuel and rippling through almost every part of the world economy.

Rubio's most recent statement is not new, as he claimed earlier this week that Washington sees no need for major combat operations against Iran because its economic campaign is working.

“The economic campaign is so devastating that right now there is no need for major combat operations,” he told reporters in Paris on Tuesday after a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting.

Nearly nine months into the US war on Iran, the pressure Rubio describes has not brought Tehran to the table on US terms. Iran maintains that it has held no negotiations, only contacts through Qatar and Pakistan to convey its conditions.

US President Donald Trump has also concluded that the same objective can be reached by economic means “for the time being,” Rubio added, warning that the “US military stands ready” and that Iran would pay a “terrible price” if it crossed “red lines”.

Rubio alleged that Iran “would love a deal” but keeps placing conditions that are “absurd” and “not even serious.” He did not say which conditions he meant.