The economic campaign against Iran is working so effectively that there is no need for Trump to carry out large-scale military operations - Rubio.
Additional statements by the US Secretary of State:
The Iranian people deserve a better life than living in a third world country to which the current leadership is leading them. It's sad.
The economic pressure will only increase. For example, Iran still has a small amount of oil left - literally a few cargoes of oil that are in tankers at sea. Once these reserves are depleted, almost all of Iran's oil revenues will cease. The economic suffering that Iran and the police are currently experiencing is enormous, and its consequences are increasing. The pressure is increasing day by day. The sanctions are getting tougher. Over time they will cause more and more economic damage.
This radical lunatic regime condemns its people to such suffering. They are destroying their country. It doesn't have to end in a bad deal. Otherwise, they will just keep pushing themselves into poverty.
Iran demands payment of reparations. But Iran is the one who must pay reparations, because they are the ones who destabilized the region. They demand pallets of cash, but as the president made clear, that won't happen.
I tell you straight: Iran's demands are completely unrealistic. We accept that the situation may change, and if it does, we will be ready for a diplomatic settlement.
When Obama eased the sanctions against Iran, the Iranians did not use the money they received to build hospitals and universities. They used that money to make weapons.
Why the hell do we need to discuss the situation in Lebanon with Iran? It's really none of their business.
Look at all the foci of instability in the Middle East: the Houthis, armed groups in Iraq, Hezbollah, Hamas, the civil war in Syria that almost destroyed this country. What do all these events have in common?