Rubio Speaks to Press on U.S. Strategy in Iran · The Floridian
Following a closed-door briefing with Congressional leaders over “Operation Epic Fury” and the conflict with Iran, Secretary Rubio spoke to the press to elaborate on the U.S. military campaign, expressing hope for a future led by the Iranian population.
“The United States is conducting an operation to eliminate the threat of Iran’s short-range ballistic missiles and the threat posed by their navy, particularly to naval assets,” Secretary Rubio told the press. ” That is what it is focused on doing right now and it’s doing quite successfully. I’ll leave it to the Pentagon and the Department of War to discuss the tactics behind that and the progress that’s being made. That is the clear objective of this mission.”
Secretary Rubio asserted that one of the reasons for the preemptive airstrikes was that the U.S. would’ve been a primary target had it been Israel or another nation that attacked Iran first. He informed the press that the orders to target the U.S. had been issued to Iran’s field commanders, revealing that within an hour of the attack on Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound, missile forces in the north and south of Iran had been “pre-positioned” and “activated to launch.”
When asked if the administration had any information regarding the airstrike at an all-girls’ school in Iran that is reported to have killed at least 153 people — mostly children — and which was said to be an American missile, Secretary Rubio commented that “the United States would not deliberately target a school.”
“Our objectives are missiles, both the ability to manufacture them and the ability to launch them, and the one-way attack drones. That would be our focus, and that’s what we would be focused on,” Secretary Rubio responded. “We would have no interest, and frankly no incentive, to target civilian infrastructure. The Iranians are, on the other hand, targeting civilian infrastructure. You guys have seen it. I’m sure you’ve seen it. They’re hitting hotels. They’re hitting embassies. They’re hitting airports. They’re hitting oil infrastructure.”
