US to finish Iran operation in weeks: Rubio

Washington: The United States expects to complete its military objectives against Iran “in weeks, not months,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, as he outlined Washington’s conditions for ending the conflict and warned Tehran against attempting to control key global waterways.

Speaking in an interview to Al Jazeera on Monday (local time), Rubio said there had been “messages and some direct talks going on between some inside of Iran and the United States, primarily through intermediaries,” even as military operations continued.

He stressed that Washington’s core demands remained unchanged: “Iran can never — the Iranian regime can never have nuclear weapons, and they need to stop sponsoring terrorism, and they need to stop building weapons that can threaten their neighbours.”

Rubio said US forces were “well on our way or ahead of schedule” in achieving their stated objectives, including the destruction of Iran’s air force and navy, and a “significant reduction in the number of missile launchers that they have.”

“We will achieve those objectives… in weeks, not months,” he said.

The secretary made clear that any Iranian attempt to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz would be unacceptable.

“No one in the world can accept it,” he said, warning that such a move would set a precedent for other nations to claim international waterways.

“The United States will not accept that condition. It’s an illegal condition that they’re demanding. That’s just not going to happen,” Rubio added.

He said the strait “will be open one way or another,” either through Iranian compliance with international law or through action by a coalition of nations.

Rubio also accused Iran of targeting civilian and economic infrastructure across the region. “They’ve attacked embassies, diplomatic facilities… airports… energy infrastructure,” he said, calling such actions “unheard of.”

Describing Iran as “weaker than it’s been in 10 years,” he argued that degrading its military capabilities now was necessary to prevent greater threats in the future.

On diplomacy, Rubio said Tehran would need to take “demonstrable steps towards ending any ambition of having nuclear weapons” and abandon missile and drone programmes.

“If they do that, then Iran’s future can be bright,” he said, while noting that for decades the regime had “refused that path.”

He also expressed frustration with some NATO allies, citing the denial of airspace and basing access during the operation.

“If NATO is just about us defending Europe… but then denying us basing rights when we need them, that’s not a very good arrangement,” he said, adding that the relationship would have to be “reexamined.”

Rubio said US objectives did not include regime change, though he acknowledged Washington would not oppose leadership change in Iran if it occurred.

“That was not the objective of this operation,” he said.

IANS