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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday (local time) said that the United States can accomplish its military objectives in the war against Iran "without any ground troops", even as Washington is considering sending additional ground troops to West Asia despite the talks with Iran amid the conflict.
Speaking to reporters following the Foreign Ministers meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) here, the US Secretary of State said that the country would destroy all military capabilities of the Islamic Republic in order to keep Tehran from acquiring any nuclear weapons. "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," Rubio said. "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", he added. His statement comes days after reports suggested that the US would be deploying more than 1,000 soldiers in West Asia amid the conflict. According to CNN, citing two sources, the troops from the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division are to deploy in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal, citing a US Department of War official, reported that Washington is considering sending an additional 10,000 ground troops to West Asia amid talks with Tehran, which is likely to include both infantry and armoured vehicles, in addition to the 82nd Airborne Division. Rubio further indicated that the conflict is expected to be short in duration, stating that it would conclude in weeks rather than months. "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," he said. When asked about the possibility of reallocating military resources from Ukraine to the war-torn region, the US Secretary of State said the US "could" divert weapons from Ukraine, although no such action has been taken so far. "It hasn't happened yet. Nothing yet has been diverted, but it could," Rubio said. "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 of the United States, we're always going to come first," Rubio added. (ANI)
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