US could ‘preemptively’ attack Iran – Rubio

The secretary of state’s remarks come as Washington reportedly eyes strikes on nuclear sites and officials in the Islamic Republic

The US could strike Iran “preemptively,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said, while acknowledging that any attempt at regime change would prove difficult.

His comments come as US President Donald Trump has stepped up threats against Tehran following weeks of violent protests across Iran caused by economic hardship and a sharp dive in the value of the Iranian rial. Iranian authorities have put the death toll at more than 3,000, although alternative counts suggest the figure could be much higher. Tehran has accused the US and Israel of inciting the violence.

Trump has openly encouraged demonstrators, saying that “help is coming” and claiming a “big armada” is on the way as additional US military assets – including an aircraft carrier strike group – have been dispatched to the Middle East.

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Speaking during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rubio said it was “wise and prudent” to maintain a US military posture in the region. The footprint “could respond and potentially… preemptively prevent the attack against thousands of American servicemen and other facilities in the region,” he said, adding that “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Rubio described Iran as “weaker than it has ever been” but warned that Tehran has accumulated “thousands and thousands” of long-range ballistic missiles. He also acknowledged that any prospect of regime change would be “more complex” than in Venezuela, where the US abducted President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month.

CNN reported on Thursday that Trump is weighing a major new military strike on Iran. The network’s sources claimed that options under consideration include strikes on Iranian officials the US believes were responsible for protest-related deaths, as well as attacks on nuclear sites and government institutions.

The report pointed out that Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile programs remain key concerns for Washington. CNN said that while the sides were engaged in dialogue, US officials had put forward preconditions for an in-person meeting, including a permanent end to uranium enrichment, curbs to the ballistic missile program, and halting support of Iran’s allies in the region.

Iran has warned that any US attack would be seen as an “all-out war” and met with retaliation.