Rubio says US can see 'finish line' on Iran war
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: File
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington could see the "finish line" in the US-Israeli war on Iran, which is now in its fifth week, and the US will have to reexamine ties with NATO after the conflict.
"We can see the finish line. It's not today, it's not tomorrow, but it is coming," Rubio told Fox News "Hannity" show.
The war began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Tehran responded by launching its own attacks on Israel and Gulf states with US bases.
Joint US-Israeli strikes in Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. The war has also raised oil prices and shaken global markets.
Rubio said messages were being exchanged between Iran and the US, and there is the potential to have a "direct meeting at some point" between the two sides.
"Messages are being exchanged, talks are going on. There is the potential for a direct meeting at some point," Rubio said.
President Donald Trump - who has offered shifting timelines and objectives for the war, ranging from toppling Iran's government to weakening its military and regional influence - said on Tuesday the US could end its military attacks on Iran within two to three weeks.
Rubio said, "there's nothing any government is doing, or any country in the world is doing now to help Iran that is in any way impeding our mission."
He added Washington will have to reexamine its relations with NATO after the Iran war.
"Ultimately, that's a decision for the president to make, and he'll have to make it," Rubio said.
"But I do think, unfortunately, we are going to have to reexamine whether or not this alliance that has served this country well for a while is still serving that purpose, or has it now become a one-way street where America is simply in a position to defend Europe, but when we need the help of our allies, they're going to deny us basing rights, and they're going to deny us overflight," he added in reference to use of military bases.
European leaders have refused to get directly involved in military attacks against Iran.
US wants a swift end to war despite continuing to bomb Iran
US President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the end of the war with Iran could be near, with Washington signalling potential for both direct talks with Tehran's leadership and a winding down of the conflict even without a deal.
The remarks underscored the shifting, often contradictory timelines and statements from Washington about how and when the war, now in its fifth week, might end.
"We'll be leaving very soon," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday, saying the exit could take place "within two weeks, maybe two weeks, maybe three".
Asked if successful diplomacy was a prerequisite for the US to end what it calls "Operation Epic Fury", Trump said it was not.
"Iran doesn't have to make a deal, no," he said. "No, they don't have to make a deal with me".
Washington had previously threatened to intensify operations if Tehran did not accept a 15-point US ceasefire framework that had among its core demands that Iran commit not to pursue nuclear weapons, halt all uranium enrichment and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The White House said Trump would address the nation "to provide an important update on Iran".
Rubio told Fox News' "Hannity" programme there was potential for a meeting between both sides "at some point" and the United States could "see the finish line".
"It's not today, it's not tomorrow, but it is coming," Rubio added.
SECRETARY RUBIO: It’s illegal to bomb and sink commercial shipping. These are terroristic acts that Iran is undertaking in the Strait of Hormuz. Countries around the world should be stepping up and dealing with this. pic.twitter.com/BbiVHfogL5
Israel, Iran trade strikes
Drop Site News footage shows the aftermath of a US-Israeli strike on a major religious site in Zanjan.
📹 Aerial footage of U.S.-Israeli strike on major religious site in Zanjan
Footage shows the aftermath of an airstrike on the Grand Hosseiniyeh of Zanjan, a large Shia religious complex used for gatherings and ceremonies in northwestern Iran. pic.twitter.com/3XrZKaseYpDrop Site News also reported on multiple impacts in central Israel after an Iranian missile strike. The impacts were reported in Tel Aviv, the Gush Dan area, and Bnei Brak following an Iranian ballistic missile launch, according to initial reports.
Some reports point to the missile carrying a cluster-type warhead, but this has not been independently confirmed.
Tanker hit off Qatar, blazes in Bahrain, Kuwait
Still, attacks were reported on both sides early on Wednesday, with drones hitting fuel tanks at Kuwait's international airport, causing a big blaze and authorities in Bahrain reported a fire at an undisclosed company facility from an Iranian attack.
A tanker was hit by an unknown projectile near the Qatari capital Doha, causing damage to the hull at the waterline, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, adding the crew was safe.
Explosions were heard in multiple areas of Tehran early Wednesday after US-Israeli air attacks, Iranian state media reported, adding that its air defences were activated.
Shahid Haghani Port, Iran's largest passenger terminal located in Bandar Abbas port on the Gulf, was hit by an overnight air strike, but there were no casualties, the deputy governor Ahmad Nafisi told state media, calling it a "criminal" attack against civilian infrastructure.
Gulf countries, some home to US bases, have been repeatedly fired on by Tehran during the US-Israeli war, with concerns mounting about Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and ability to use the vital waterway, a conduit for a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, as a bargaining chip.
While the United States has said talks with Iran were ongoing, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday that he has been receiving direct messages from US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but those do not constitute "negotiations", Qatar's Al Jazeera TV cited him as saying.
The messages include threats or exchanged views delivered through "friends," he added.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Tuesday hit back with a new threat against US companies in the region starting on Wednesday.It listed 18 businesses, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla, and Boeing, that would be targeted from 8:00pm.
Read: Iran’s Pezeshkian says US doesn’t believe in diplomacy as IRGC threatens to target US tech firms
When asked if he was concerned about threats to the companies, Trump said no.
Oil markets were subdued as trading resumed in Asia on Wednesday, but stocks and bonds rallied at the start of the session on hopes of a de-escalation. The MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 2.7% after a four-day losing streak as the Nikkei 225 jumped 3.9% at one point after Trump's latest remarks.
Stocks on Wall Street soared on Tuesday as traders bet on the potential off-ramp, sending the S&P 500 2.9% higher.
US messaging is not negotiations, Iran says
Higher oil and fuel prices have started to weigh on US household finances and are a political headache for Trump and his Republican Party before the November midterm elections.
Two-thirds of Americans believe the US should work to end its involvement in the Iran war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by the Trump administration, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The United Arab Emirates is preparing to help the US and allies open the Strait of Hormuz by force, the Wall Street Journal reported late on Tuesday, in an effort to end its effective closure.
A drone view of people gathering at the site of damage in a residential neighbourhood following Iranian missile barrages in central Israel.
PHOTO: REUTERSThe UAE is seeking a UN Security Council resolution for the action and suggested the US occupy strategic islands, according to the report.
Trump earlier on Tuesday also criticised countries that have not helped the US war effort, such as NATO member Britain.
"NATO is a one-way street," Secretary of State Rubio told the Fox News show, noting Europe was eager for the US to defend it but had not stepped up to provide the help the US sought.
"After this conflict is concluded, we are going to have to reexamine that relationship," Rubio said.
War continues to rage
Israel's military said on Wednesday it had carried out more than 800 strike sorties against Iranian targets during the war involving 16,000 munitions and 5,000 new targets identified. The Israeli military also said it had identified the launch of a missile from Yemen towards Israel, adding that air defence systems were operating to intercept the threat.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis joined the regional war in recent days, launching missiles at Israel in support of Tehran.
The war has also revived conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.
At least seven people were killed and 24 wounded in two Israeli strikes in the Beirut area, the Lebanese health ministry said on Wednesday.
Israel's military said on Wednesday it carried out two separate strikes targeting a senior Hezbollah commander and another senior member of the Iran-aligned group in the Beirut area. It did not identify them or say whether they had been killed.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the strikes.