Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers the United States had achieved its military objectives in Iran, while Democrats said American forces and allies remain under threat.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told House lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. war with Iran is over, even as Iranian attacks continued against American allies and the Strait of Hormuz remained blocked.
Rubio defended the administration’s position during testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, saying the United States is no longer carrying out sustained military operations inside Iran under Operation Epic Fury.
“We’re no longer conducting sustained strikes inside of Iran to degrade their military, because Epic Fury is over,” Rubio said.
The U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran began Feb. 28 and has since drawn in much of the Middle East. Iran has retaliated by targeting U.S. allies in the region and effectively shutting the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for Gulf oil and natural gas.
Rubio said the administration considers the operation successful because Iran’s military capabilities were severely damaged.
“We define victory as destroying their defense industrial base, significantly reducing the number of missile launchers that they possess, significantly reducing their stockpile of drones,” Rubio said.
“And we achieved all those, in addition to destroying what they had left of an air force and wiping out their entire conventional navy,” he added.
Democrats challenged Rubio’s assessment, arguing that the conflict is continuing regardless of how the administration defines the operation. They pointed to Iran’s Wednesday strike on Kuwait’s airport, which killed one person and injured 63, as well as overnight drone attacks on Bahrain. Both Kuwait and Bahrain host significant U.S. military presences.
Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., said American service members remain exposed to danger despite the administration’s declaration that the war is over.
“You can change the name of the operation. It doesn’t change the fact that the Strait’s still closed, and my service members, and all of our service members, are still in harm’s way,” Jacobs told Rubio.
Rubio also briefed lawmakers on negotiations with Iran, saying Tehran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remains central to any possible peace agreement. He said Iran has not yet signed off on a deal.
Washington is demanding that Iran hand over its near-weapons-grade enriched uranium, restrict its nuclear activities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz before a peace agreement can take effect.
“I think now, in some of the papers that have been exchanged back and forth, it’s clearly addressed, but we…still don’t have final sign off from their system as of this morning,” Rubio told the committee.
Iran has said it wants $12 billion in frozen assets released before entering substantive nuclear talks. Tehran has also rejected earlier comments from President Donald Trump suggesting that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile would ultimately be destroyed.
Rubio’s testimony underscored the gap between the administration’s claim that its military campaign has ended and the reality of continuing regional violence. While the United States says Operation Epic Fury achieved its objectives, lawmakers pressed the administration on whether American troops, allies and global energy routes remain at risk.
Original article
Comments