US strikes isolated Iran as allies backed away, Rubio says
Last month's US air strikes targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure dampened foreign support for Tehran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday in an interview with Fox News.
Last month's US air strikes targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure dampened foreign support for Tehran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday in an interview with Fox News.
"I think everyone, China, Russia, others, even North Korea, have become a little bit more cautious about supporting Iran, especially after our B-2s flew halfway around the world and conducted an operation and left before anyone found out about it," he said.
The strikes—dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer—saw B-2 stealth bombers target three key Iranian nuclear sites using 30,000-pound “bunker buster” munitions.
The June 22 attacks followed an Israeli missile barrage that had triggered a 12-day war with Iran. A ceasefire was reached on June 24.
Speaking with Lara Trump on Fox News’ My View, Rubio said the operation had a deterrent effect, especially during the height of the fighting. “They all kind of took a pass and said, we don't want to get involved in this thing,” he said of Iran’s traditional allies.
“President Trump reminded them” that the United States has “the most extraordinary military capabilities in the world.”
The June attack came after five inconclusive rounds of nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Since the war, Iran has expelled the UN's nuclear inspectors and has threatened to pull out of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty as the situation continues to spiral.
