Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, says economic sanctions and the naval blockade against Iran have been so effective that Donald Trump does not need to launch a major military operation to achieve his objectives.
Reuters reported on Tuesday, November 10, that Rubio made the remarks while speaking to reporters after two days of meetings with US allies in the Group of Seven (G7) in Paris.
Rejecting the view that Washington’s decision not to resume military operations amounted to a stalemate or an effort to maintain the status quo, Rubio said the economic pressure on Iran was “extraordinary” and growing every day.
The US secretary of state also said Trump had received similar assessments from Washington’s regional allies in the Middle East.
The remarks came after Trump announced on Monday that he was postponing new military strikes against Iran following requests from several regional countries, including Qatar.
Rubio stressed that if Washington could achieve its objectives through economic measures and sanctions pressure, there would be no need for military strikes.
