US will 'blow up' threats against Navy ships, Rubio says
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the United States would respond forcefully to any Iranian attacks on US naval vessels, warning that forces threatening American ships would be “blown up.”
“If they threaten Americans, they’re going to get blown up,” Rubio said when discussing recent clashes between US and Iranian forces near the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio said the US response to Iranian fire on American destroyers was separate from “Operation Epic Fury,” which he described as an offensive campaign targeting Iran’s missile launchers, navy, air force and military factories.
“If you fire on a US Navy ship, what are we supposed to do?” Rubio said. “Of course we fired back at them.”
He also warned Iranian fast-boat units against approaching US naval vessels, saying: “We’re going to blow those boats up if they’re coming towards our boats.”
