US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Iran is trying to hold the world hostage with retaliatory strikes, as the US pursues its war objectives.

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has accused Iran of attempting to hold the world hostage through its retaliatory military strikes.

Rubio made the remarks at a State Department event honouring wrongfully detained Americans. He stated that the clerical regime poses a direct threat to the region and the world.

“They are trying to hold the world hostage,” Rubio said. He added that Iran is attacking neighbouring countries, their energy infrastructure, and civilian populations.

The Secretary of State insisted the United States is on track to achieve its war objectives. He defined the mission’s goal as destroying Iran’s ability to continue such attacks.

The United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28. The strike promptly killed the Islamic republic’s longtime supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Since then, Iran has fired a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel and Gulf Arab monarchies. These monarchies serve as key bases for US forces in the region.

Rubio was joined at the event by family members of Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007. The US concluded in 2020 that the Iranian government was involved in his presumed death.

Levinson’s case serves as a reminder of the nature of the regime in Tehran, according to Rubio. Reports indicate Levinson was on a CIA intelligence-gathering mission when he vanished.

Rubio also referenced the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran. He said the regime was founded on an assault against American foreign and civil service personnel.

 The Sun Malaysia