Secretary of State Rubio Says US Attacked Iran to Prevent Retaliation

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Marco Rubio on Monday acknowledged the United States' attack on Iran over the weekend as a deterrent before Tehran could respond to an expected Israeli attack.

"We knew there would be Israeli action. We knew it would trigger an attack on American forces. And we knew that if we didn't act first, before they launched the attack, we would suffer greater casualties," said Foreign Minister Rubio, launching Anadolu (3/3).

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill before briefing the 'Gang of Eight' - four congressional leaders and the heads of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees - Secretary of State Rubio defended the US-Israeli joint air strike as a necessary action to prevent greater losses.

"There is really a threat that will happen soon," he said, referring to Iran's missile capabilities and what he described as plans to target American bases and allies in the region.

"We know that if Iran is attacked, and we believe it will be attacked, they will immediately attack us, and we will not sit idly by and accept an attack before we retaliate," he said.

Further, Secretary of State Rubio said the Department of Defense had warned that waiting for Iran to attack first would result in "more casualties and more deaths," arguing that the US was "defensively proactive" to prevent greater damage.

However, according to media reports, Pentagon officials told congressional staff in a closed-door briefing on Sunday that there was no intelligence indicating Iran planned to attack US forces first.

Foreign Minister Rubio said the US attack was aimed at destroying Iran's missile capabilities as well as the "threat" posed by its navy to global shipping, and warned that further escalation was likely.

"I will not reveal the details of our tactical efforts, but the heaviest attacks will still come from the US military. The next phase will punish Iran more than now," he said.

"How long does it take? I don't know how long it takes. We have a goal. We will do this as long as it takes," he said.

Israel had earlier announced it launched what it called a "preemptive" attack on Iran on Saturday morning under the code name "Operation Roaring Lion" and declared a "special and immediate" state of emergency across the country.

The attack comes as talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program are underway under Omani mediation, with a new round in Geneva ending last Thursday.

According to The New York Times, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged President Donald Trump to "deal a crushing blow" to Iran and not let renewed nuclear diplomacy with Tehran derail plans for military action.