Asked whether regime change is a goal in Iran, as US President Donald Trump has indicated in the past, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the US would love to see it happen, but it is not among the aims of the current military operation.
“Our mission and our focus is the destruction of missiles and the ability to manufacture them, as well as their naval capabilities,” Rubio says.
Earlier today, Trump listed two other aims: ensuring Iran cannot support proxy militia groups or obtain a nuclear weapon.
“That said, we hope that the Iranian people can overthrow this government,” Rubio says.
“Whoever runs the regime, the goal is to ensure that they don’t have missiles and drones to threaten us,” he says, seemingly adding another war aim —neutralizing the Iranian drone threat.
Reiterating Trump’s message from earlier today, Rubio says the “hardest hits [against Iran] have yet to come.”
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