NEW DELHI, May 24 (ANI) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday launched a sharp attack on Iran during a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, accusing Tehran of sponsoring terrorism, supporting proxy militant groups, and destabilizing regions across the world.
Rubio said Iran has consistently backed violent organizations and invested heavily in proxy warfare instead of improving the lives of its own citizens.
“On the other hand, Iran likes to sponsor proxy groups of terrorists. And these terrorists don’t care what they blow up. They blow up anything and everyone. This is who we’re dealing with,” Rubio said.
Accusing Tehran of involvement in global terror attacks, he added, “This is an Iran that not long ago, through its Hezbollah proxies, blew up a Jewish center in Argentina and killed a number of people. This is an Iran that innovated the use of roadside bombs that killed and maimed many people, including American servicemen.”
Rubio further alleged that Iran has orchestrated assassinations and attacks targeting civilians and dissidents worldwide.
“This is an Iran that has organized assassinations and attempted assassinations of people all over the world, including civilians, dissidents, and people they disagree with. There is no nation on earth that sponsors more terrorism than Iran,” he said.
The U.S. Secretary of State also criticized the Iranian leadership for prioritizing support for militant organizations over domestic development.
“They didn’t spend their millions and millions on building roads and bridges and improving the lives of their people. That’s why their people are always in the streets protesting because their economy has been in shambles. They don’t invest in their economy,” Rubio said.
“They would rather invest in Hezbollah. They would rather invest in the rapists and murderers of Hamas. They would rather invest in those groups than in their own people. That’s what Iran invests in,” he added.
Rubio also accused Iran of threatening maritime security in the Persian Gulf and disrupting international waterways.
“The world’s leading sponsor of terrorism is Iran. And look at what they’re doing now. They are holding hostage civilian vessels, including ships that have now been stuck in the Persian Gulf. They’ve laid mines in an international waterway,” he said.
Despite his criticism, Rubio said Washington remains committed to pursuing diplomacy.
“And yet despite all of that, the United States remains committed to finding a peaceful, diplomatic solution to this crisis,” Rubio stated.
“But let’s be clear who we’re talking about here. We’re not talking about some pacifist government or regime. We’re talking about one of the most vicious regimes on the face of the earth and in modern history. That’s what we’re dealing with,” he added.
Rubio also indicated that “significant progress” had been made in ongoing diplomatic efforts involving Iran and suggested that an announcement regarding a possible agreement could come later in the day.
Speaking alongside Jaishankar in New Delhi, Rubio said any breakthrough involving the Strait of Hormuz would depend on Iran accepting and complying with the proposed framework currently under discussion.
“On the Iran situation, there’ll be, I believe, maybe more news coming out a little bit later today on this topic, and I’ll leave it to the President to make further announcements on it,” Rubio said.
“We think we’ve made some progress on the outline of something that, if it works, could give us that outcome,” he added.
“Suffice it to say that some progress has been made — significant progress, although not final progress,” Rubio said, adding that any agreement would require “full Iranian acceptance and then compliance.”
“There is the possibility that over the next few hours, the world will get some good news,” Rubio said, referring to developments involving the Strait of Hormuz.
Reiterating Washington’s long-standing position on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Rubio said, “I remind everybody that the ultimate goal is that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.” (ANI)
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