U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that Iran's loss of its "conventional shield" Of drones and missiles has positioned the United States to negotiate from strength on denuclearization.
In an interview with Fox News, Rubio stated that "I don't think the Iranian regime has ever faced a president like President Trump, which is someone that actually takes action." He added that Iran had grown accustomed over decades to evading accountability for violations of agreements.
Rubio described Iran's strategy as an attempt to amass military capabilities to deter intervention. "Iran wants a nuclear weapon, and they were building a conventional missile shield they were going to hide behind. In essence they wanted to be in a position, a year and a half from now, to be able to say, 'We have so many drones and so many missiles, you can't possibly defend against them,'" He said.
The Trump administration conducted Operation Epic Fury beginning February 28, degrading Iranian military assets including naval and air forces, missile defenses, and weapons manufacturing facilities. While Tehran retains some drone and missile capabilities, Rubio said the reduced military capacity allows the U.S. To negotiate "from a position of strength, not from a position of weakness."
Rubio stated that while regime change was not the administration's objective, the Iranian regime must renounce efforts to export its revolution regionally. "And the only way you're going to change that is if you make the price of it too high for them to be able to pay," He said.
President Trump announced Sunday that he had halted planned military strikes after Iran agreed in principle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate its nuclear program.