Rubio says Iran strike aimed at stopping nuclear and missile threat
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday Washington’s attack on Iran was aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons and dismantling what he described as a growing missile and drone “shield.”
In a video published by the White House on X, Rubio said there was “zero doubt” Iran ultimately seeks nuclear weapons, rejecting Tehran’s claims that its program is solely for civilian energy.
"They could have nuclear energy like all the other countries in the world have it. And that is, you import the fuel and you build reactors above ground. That's not what Iran has done," he said. "They build their reactors and their facilities deep in mountains away from the public glare, and they want to enrich that material, the same equipment that they could use to enrich material for energy they could use to quickly enrich it to weapons grade."
“We were on the verge of an Iran that had so many missiles and so many drones that no one could do anything about their nuclear weapons program,” Rubio said, calling it an “intolerable risk.”
He said the operation aims to destroy Iran’s missile and drone capabilities so it “can’t hide behind it” and must engage with the international community over its nuclear ambitions.
