Rubio says Trump prefers a peaceful end to the Iran war, even as both sides prepare for strikes.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump would like to resolve the Iran war "diplomatically" and prefers not to use military force. Speaking over the weekend, Rubio told reporters that Trump "hasn't made a decision." He said Trump has "incredible confidence" that the U.S. could act militarily if needed. "But we would prefer to do it peacefully," Rubio said.
The remarks come as reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times indicate the U.S. is preparing for possible renewed military action after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Washington has not explicitly said it plans to resume attacks on Iran.
On Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for Tehran's armed forces to meet "any level or type of threat" with "an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response." He also ordered that military databases be updated to bring "all kinds of physical and non-physical assets" of U.S. and Israeli forces within reach.
On Sunday, Trump told the Right Side Broadcasting Network: "We've had such a victory, and we'll put it away very soon, one way or the other." He added: "Either they'll make a deal, or we'll just end it."
On Sunday, Iran's foreign ministry designated the U.K.'s Military Intelligence Services a "hostile group." It accused the Royal Navy and Air Force of supporting "terrorist organizations," calling this a response to London's "malicious" actions, including its designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. Tehran also accused the U.K. of participating in the war by allowing American forces access to British military and logistical bases. According to the BBC, the U.K. allowed U.S. forces to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for what were described as "defensive" strikes on Iran.