US President Donald Trump [Getty Images]
US President Donald Trump [Getty Images]

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Donald Trump has "not yet made a decision" on whether to resume large-scale military operations against Iran.

Trump continues to weigh diplomatic and military options in the final stages of deliberation.

Rubio made the comments at a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, when asked about the matter. "I'm not going to comment on what the United States will or will not do militarily," Rubio said.

Asked about Trump's recent statement that any new strike against Iran would be swift, short and large in scale, Rubio said the remark was about "the fact that the United States still has the most powerful military on the planet" and that "we can achieve military objectives if we want to."

However, Rubio added that Trump does not prefer that approach. "If he did, he would have done it weeks or months ago," Rubio said. "The president prefers a diplomatic resolution."

"What the president wanted to convey to you is an incredible confidence that if military action is needed, we have the ability to carry it out and have everything necessary for success," Rubio said. "But we prefer to do it peacefully."

Rubio also said negotiations with Iran over an end to the conflict have "actually never stopped." "Sometimes we negotiate directly, but often there are active conversations through intermediaries," Rubio added.

'We've been in the majority and the minority'

Meanwhile, Rubio said the Trump administration's foreign policy would not change even if the Democratic Party were to take control of Congress in the midterm elections.

Rubio was asked that day whether he was concerned that his job as secretary of state would become more difficult if he had to work with a Democratic-controlled Congress starting in January, according to Yonhap.

"Congress has a role in foreign policy," Rubio said. "I served in that role for a long time as a senator, so I understand very well what Congress can and cannot do."

"We've been in the majority and the minority, and we've seen Democrats take the White House and Republicans control the White House," Rubio said. "Ultimately, I've come to realize that our foreign policy is largely driven by the executive branch."

The remarks amounted to an assertion that Trump would continue to lead US foreign policy regardless of whether the Democratic Party secured a congressional majority in the midterms.

Rubio served as a US senator representing Florida for 14 years beginning in 2011. Rubio has served as secretary of state since the start of Trump's second term.


yul@heraldcorp.com