PiCK
US Secretary of State: "The strongest US attack is still to come… the next phase will be more painful for Iran"
Summary
- Rubio warned that military operations against Iran would be further intensified, saying "the next phase will be far more painful for Iran than it is now."
- He emphasized that the objective of the operation is to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and prevent it from covertly maintaining a nuclear program.
- Rubio said Iran had posed an "imminent threat" to the US and, while not ruling out the possibility of deploying US ground troops, assessed that a ground deployment in the near term is unlikely.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that military operations against Iran would intensify further, while making clear that regime change is not the objective of the campaign.
Ahead of an Iran strike briefing on 2 (local time) at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, Rubio told reporters, "The strongest attack from the US military has not yet come," warning that "the next phase will be far more painful for Iran than it is now." He added, "I will not disclose the details of our tactical efforts."
Rubio emphasized, "The objective of this operation is to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities so they cannot be rebuilt, and to prevent them from covertly maintaining a nuclear program."
He also drew a line on the possibility of regime change. "I would like to see an Iran that is not governed by radical Shiite clerics," Rubio said. "We would like to see a new regime, but the fundamental position is that whoever governs that country a year from now will not have these ballistic missiles and will not have drones that can threaten us," he stressed.
Addressing criticism that the operation was launched without congressional authorization, Rubio said Iran had posed an "imminent threat" to the United States, adding, "We complied with the law 100%."
Rubio claimed, "The imminent threat is that if Iran were attacked (by Israel), they would immediately attack us."
He continued, "We knew Israel’s action (strikes on Iran) was coming, and we knew it would accelerate (Iranian) attacks targeting US forces (in the Middle East)," adding, "If we did not act preemptively before they attacked us, we would suffer more casualties."
On whether to deploy US ground troops, he struck a cautious tone. Rubio did not rule out sending US ground forces to Iran but said the US is not currently postured for a ground invasion, and he assessed that a ground deployment in the near term is unlikely.
Shin Yong-hyun, Hankyung.com reporter yonghyun@hankyung.com
Korea Economic Daily
hankyung@bloomingbit.ioThe Korea Economic Daily Global is a digital media where latest news on Korean companies, industries, and financial markets.
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