The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, hopes to receive a response from Iran this Friday to his latest offer of negotiations, although he does not take it for granted given the upsurge in hostilities this week and for which he has pointed out Tehran as the only one responsible.
Visiting Italy and the Vatican, Rubio has discussed the current situation in Iran in depth with the media. Regarding the negotiations, first, Rubio has expressed his expectation that the Iranian response “could arrive today at some point” although in his opinion the Iranian government system “continues to be very fragmented and somewhat dysfunctional, so that could be an impediment.”
In any case, Rubio has expressed his desire that Iran send a “serious” counteroffer, which would help consolidate a delicate ceasefire that has faltered with this week’s incidents.
In this sense, Rubio has stressed that this week’s skirmishes had nothing to do with the original military operation, “Epic Fury” and that it was actually a North American response to an initial attack by Iran. “What they saw yesterday were American destroyers sailing in international waters, being attacked by the Iranians, and the United States responded defensively to protect itself,” he said.
“If they fire a drone or a missile at our destroyer, what are we supposed to do? Let it hit it? We have to respond. The alternative is to let it sink one of our ships, that’s crazy. Only idiots don’t attack when they attack. We’re not stupid,” said the Secretary of State before once again ensuring that the United States is acting in accordance with international law because Iran has no basis to defend its control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
“But here there is a more fundamental problem. Iran now claims that it owns, that it has the right to control, an international sea lane. They claim to have the right to control it. What is the world going to do about it? Will the world accept that Iran now controls an international sea lane? Because if the world is willing to accept it, let it prepare itself,” he indicated.
Rubio, without giving names, has assured that “ten other countries are going to start doing the same in their international maritime lanes, or in maritime lanes close to their territories” and, with the law in hand, “it is unacceptable that this practice remains normalized.”