Rubio says Trump prefers diplomacy as U.S. and Iran edge toward another round of escalation
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump says he wants to resolve tensions with Iran peacefully, even as both Washington and Tehran appear to be preparing for more strikes after the November 3 midterm elections.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that President Donald Trump would like to settle the dispute with Iran "diplomatically" and says he prefers to avoid military action, even while the machinery of confrontation keeps grinding forward. "He hasn't made a decision...what the president expresses to you is incredible confidence that if we needed to do something militarily, we would have the ability to do it, and we really we have everything we need to be successful. But we would prefer to do it peacefully," Rubio said.
The comments come amid reports that both Washington and Tehran are preparing for additional military strikes following the November 3 midterm elections. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urged the armed forces to respond to any threat with an "immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response" and ordered an update of the military database to target U.S. and Israeli assets.
U.S. officials have not confirmed plans to resume attacks on Iran, but reporting by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times suggests the United States is considering renewed military options after the elections. President Trump later told Right Side Broadcasting Network, "We've had such a victory, and we'll put it away very soon, one way or the other. Either they'll make a deal, or we'll just end it."