Increased US military presence in Middle East aims to defend forces: Rubio

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US’ increased military presence in the Middle East is intended to defend American forces from potential threats rather than signal an imminent attack on Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday.

"We are postured in the region for one simple reason, and that is that we understand that there could be threats to our forces in the region," Rubio told reporters alongside Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Washington wants to ensure "sufficient capacity to defend them, if, God forbid, that were to happen," he added.

Asked whether the Trump administration would consult and inform Congress before attacking Iran or removing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Rubio said US President Donald Trump "prefers diplomacy and an outcome of negotiated settlement."

"We're dealing with people who make political, geopolitical decisions on the basis of pure theology, and it's a complicated thing," Rubio said, adding "No one's ever been able to do a successful deal with Iran, but we're going to try."

The US attacks on Iran last June were carried out without congressional approval or notification of top Democratic leaders in Congress. Some lawmakers objected, saying the attacks took place despite there being no imminent threat to the United States.

Rubio also said special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who have been active in the Middle East, are currently traveling for "important meetings," adding: "We'll see how that turns out."

The secretary of state pledged to "always comply with the applicable laws of the United States in terms of involving Congress" in any decisions, adding: "But right now, we're not talking about any of that. We're talking about negotiations."

"The president made that clear: If that changes, it'll be obvious to everyone, and obviously whatever the law requires us to do, we'll do," Rubio said.

The US has significantly increased its military presence in the region, deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group with reports of plans to send the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier amid heightened tensions with Tehran.