Rubio backs US troop security as Trump warns ‘massive armada’ heads toward Iran
WASHINGTON, DC: Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said it is “wise and prudent” for the United States to maintain military assets in the Middle East to protect American troops, warning that US forces remain highly vulnerable to a potential Iranian attack.
Testifying before the Senate, Rubio said the large American footprint in the region requires a baseline defensive posture.
“We have 30,000 to 40,000 American troops stationed across eight or nine facilities in the region,” Rubio told Republican Sen John Cornyn of Texas. He noted that all of those troops are “within the reach of thousands of Iranian one-way drones” as well as short-range ballistic missiles.
Questions raised on US intervention and Iran’s future
Cornyn pointed to the recent buildup of US military assets in the region, including the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, and asked Rubio what might happen if Iran’s supreme leader were ousted.
Rubio said there were no easy answers. “I don’t think anyone can give you a simple answer as to what happens next in Iran if the supreme leader and the regime were to fall,” he said, adding that the hope would be for figures within Iran’s system to steer the country toward some form of transition.
He stressed that the current posture is about deterrence and preparedness rather than predicting a specific outcome.
“I think it’s wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and potentially, if necessary, preemptively prevent an attack against thousands of American servicemen and other facilities in the region and our allies,” Rubio said.
Trump warns Tehran as forces move toward Iran
Rubio’s remarks came the same day Donald Trump announced that a “massive armada” of US military forces was moving toward Iran, issuing a blunt warning to Tehran to return to negotiations or face severe consequences.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the deployment as fast-moving and powerful, framing it as a final opportunity for diplomacy.
“A massive Armada is heading to Iran,” Trump wrote, urging Iranian leaders to “come to the table” and agree to a deal that would permanently block Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Trump warned that time was running out and said any future military action would be far more destructive than past operations.
Trump cites past strikes, unrest in Iran
The president referenced a previous US operation he dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” claiming it caused “major destruction” inside Iran. He cautioned that any new attack would be “far worse. “Don’t make that happen again,” Trump wrote.
His comments came amid ongoing unrest in Iran, where protests have intensified and reports suggest thousands have been killed during crackdowns by Iranian authorities. The unrest has renewed international scrutiny of Tehran’s leadership and raised concerns over human rights abuses.
Earlier, Trump suggested the United States was prepared to assist Iranian protesters and even threatened military action if demonstrators were targeted.
