US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has asserted that the Iran war will end in weeks, not months.

He made the remarks as he spoke to reporters before departing from a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in France.

“As the Department of War has consistently outlined, we are on or ahead of schedule in that operation and expect to conclude it at the appropriate time here, in a matter of weeks, not months.”
Marco Rubio

Rubio said that the US can achieve its objectives in the Iran war “without any ground troops,” as more than 1000 extra service members have been ordered to deploy to the region.

“We’re going to destroy their navy, we are going to destroy their air force, and we are going to significantly destroy their missile launchers so they can never hide behind these things to get a nuclear weapon. We are achieving all of those objectives, we are ahead of schedule on most of them, and we can achieve them without any ground troops, without any.”
Marco Rubio

Commenting on why more service members are being sent to the Middle East, he said that President Donald Trump “has to be prepared for multiple contingencies,” without detailing what those contingencies included.

Also, Rubio said that the US could divert weapons from Ukraine to the Middle East, but it hasn’t done so yet.

“It hasn’t happened yet. Nothing yet has been diverted but it could.”“Let me be clear, if the United States has a military need whether it is to replenish our stocks or to fulfill some mission in the national interest to the United States, we’re always going to come first.”
Marco Rubio

Additionally, The US State Secretary addressed a sanctioned Russian lawmakers’ visit to the US, saying it “was scheduled previously.”

“Russia is still a powerful country with nuclear weapons and it is important for nuclear powers to have some engagement at the governmental level just like we do at the diplomatic level. I don’t think that was a major concession in any shape or form.”
Marco Rubio

Rubio Urges Allies To Help Efforts To Secure Strait Of Hormuz

Moreover, US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio said that US allies in Europe and Asia should support efforts to secure the Strait of Hormuz once the Iran war ends.

Rubio said following a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in France, “Immediately after this thing ends and we’re done with our objectives, one of the immediate challenges we’re going to face is an Iran that may decide that they want to set up a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz.” “Not only is this illegal, it’s unacceptable, it’s dangerous to the world, and it’s important that the world have a plan to confront it,” he added.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly castigated allies for not committing to help secure the Strait while the war continues.

Rubio said the US would be a “part of” the postwar effort but that countries in Europe and Asia “have a lot at stake and should contribute greatly.” He said that allies were receptive to his message. He also seemed to downplay the suggestion they have been upset by Trump’s repeated criticisms in recent weeks.

G7 Foreign Ministers stressed “the absolute necessity to permanently restore safe and toll-free freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz” as Iran continues to throttle the key waterway.

In a statement issued after a meeting in France, the G7 Foreign Ministers also called for “an immediate cessation of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

US President, Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran’s energy infrastructure if Iran does not reopen the Strait, but on Thursday he again pushed back his self-imposed deadline until April 6.

Allies have expressed openness to contributing to efforts to help ensure the Strait remains open but have been maintained that there must de-escalation first.

Iran has reportedly sought to pass legislation to impose tolls on vessels transiting the waterway. “We underscored the importance of minimizing the impact of the conflict on regional partners and civilian populations, critical infrastructure – and the need to coordinate humanitarian aid efforts,” the statement said.

The statement added that they focused on the value of diverse partnerships, coordination, and supporting initiatives, including to mitigate global economic shocks such as disruptions to economic, energy, fertilizer and commercial supply chains, which have direct impacts on their citizens.