Rubio says Iran pressure makes major combat unnecessary for now
Rubio said U.S. blockade and sanctions are hurting Iran's economy, and that Abu Dhabi talks on Ukraine were productive.
U.S, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday. economic pressure on Iran has made major combat operations unnecessary for now, the U.S. State Department said in a release of his remarks to the press in Paris.
Rubio said the U.S. military stands ready to act if Iran crosses certain red lines, though he declined to specify them.
"Not just the blockade, the sanctions," Rubio said when asked whether the blockade alone was driving the pressure.
He said the sanctions compound over time and that Iran has only a small amount of oil left at sea that slipped past the blockade during a brief ceasefire period.
Rubio said the Treasury Department, working with U.S. intelligence agencies, continues to close off sanctions evasion methods that Iran is trying to use.
He said the G7 meeting in Paris, hosted with partners from Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Egypt and South Korea, also covered Ukraine.
Rubio said talks in Abu Dhabi on Ukraine were very productive, though he cautioned that much work remains and that a solution would not come quickly.
He said European countries are now at the table and that the U.S. aims to expand the trilateral talks among the United States, Ukraine and Russia to include Europe directly.
Rubio said he expects to see many of the participants again in December in Doral.
Asked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who defended himself against articles of impeachment, Rubio said the president has the authority to address imminent threats and that Hegseth carried out those orders effectively.