Politics
Rubio Reveals Trumps Iran War Goal Is To Revert To Status Quo
Marco Rubio has revealed Donald Trump’s latest goal for the Iran war is to effectively undo the last three months of chaos.
The US president chose to work with Israel to bomb Iran at the end of February after international negotiations over capping Tehran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon stalled.
Iran hit back by targeting US military bases across the Middle East and effectively closing the major oil shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz.
That has sent the price of oil up, increasing the cost of living around the world.
The US tried to impose its own blockade on the Strait in retaliation, while also continuing to bomb Iran, but to no avail.
Tehran also claims to have collected tolls from commercial vessels who want free travel through the waterway, though the US denies it.
Iran previously suggested tankers would have to pay $2 million to cross the Middle Eastern waterway – a huge cost which would trickle down to consumers.
Meanwhile, questions over exactly what America is trying to achieve with the war continues.
As the cost of the war continues to grow, the White House is desperately looking for an off-ramp.
US secretary of state Rubio tried to explain what Washington was doing to the press this week – but only added to the confusion as to why the war even started.
He said: “As President Trump said and as the facts clearly bear out, the United States holds all the cards.
“There is no scenario here where if they decide to join a ladder of escalation, they end up getting the last say.
“It’s for the Strait to be open, back to the way it was. It’s for anyone to use it, no mines in the water, nobody paying tolls.
“That’s what we have to get back to and that’s the goal here.”
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