U.S. defends strike timing, denies acting on Israel behalf

WASHINGTON, March 3  – The United States is urgently working to evacuate Americans from the Middle East amid hostilities, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the media on Tuesday, disclosing that 9,000 citizens have departed since the conflict began but about 1,600 still require assistance.

Rubio said the main impediment is closed airspace, which has forced charter and military flights to turn back. He pleaded with media outlets to broadcast State Department contact information so citizens can register for help, which may come via charter, military, expanded commercial flights, or land routes.

The secretary confirmed a drone struck a parking lot adjacent to the U.S. consulate in Dubai, causing a fire. All personnel were accounted for, he said, noting diplomatic staff had been drawn down in several posts including Beirut and Baghdad in advance of hostilities.

Turning to the military campaign, Rubio said U.S. Central Command, in a joint operation, is carrying out the “systematic destruction” of Iran’s missile belt, launchers, production capability, and navy.

“Everything is on or ahead of schedule,” Rubio said, citing updates from the Department of War.

He promised a noticeable escalation in the coming hours as “the two most powerful air forces in the world take apart this terroristic regime.”

President Donald Trump objective, Rubio said, is clear: “Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.” He described the Iranian government as a “terroristic, radical, cleric-led regime” that was willing to slaughter its own people.

The secretary faced repeated questions about whether U.S. action was precipitated by planned Israeli strikes. He grew visibly frustrated, accusing reporters of misrepresenting his previous remarks.

“The President determined we were not going to get hit first,” Rubio stated. “If you tell the President of the United States that if we don’t go first we’re going to have more people killed… the President’s going to go first.”

He asserted the timing was chosen because it “gave us the highest probability of success” in a joint operation to achieve military objectives, not because of Israel.

When asked about congressional War Powers resolutions, Rubio said the administration had “over-complied” with notification requirements. He dismissed the 2001 Authorisation for Use of Military Force as irrelevant to the current legal justification, framing the action as a necessary move against a looming threat.

“Iran is run by lunatics – religious fanatic lunatics,” Rubio said. “This is the weakest they’ve ever been. Now was the time to go after them.”

He concluded by saying the world would be safer once Iran’s radical clerics are stripped of their weapons, and left to brief members of Congress.