Rubio Warns ‘Hardest Hits’ on Iran Yet to Come as US Signals Escalation

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Washington D.C.: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned that “the hardest hits” against Iran are still ahead, signaling a potential escalation following two days of US-led strikes targeting Iranian military assets.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Rubio said the next phase of military action would be “even more punishing” than the current wave of attacks.

“I’m not going to give away the details of our tactical efforts, but the hardest hits are yet to come from the US military,” Rubio said.

Rubio briefed members of Congress alongside Israeli counterparts on President Donald Trump’s coordinated campaign with Israel, which the administration says has targeted Iran’s leadership and its ballistic missile infrastructure. He clarified that the US objective is to dismantle Iran’s ballistic missile programme, naval fleet and attack drones, arguing that Tehran has used its missile capabilities as a shield to advance nuclear ambitions.

The secretary of state reiterated Trump’s claim that Iran posed an “imminent threat” to the United States and said the president did not require congressional authorization to initiate the strikes. Democrats, however, challenged that assertion.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said administration officials offered a rationale for the attacks but failed to provide substantive supporting evidence. Senator Mark Warner, chair of the Intelligence Committee, said the briefing raised more questions than answers, including concerns about the overall objective, an exit strategy and the nature of the alleged imminent threat.

“What is the objective? What is the exit plan? What obligation do we have now to the Iranian people, if they do rise up based upon his call for them to go to the streets?” Warner said, referring to Trump’s comments following the initial strikes.

Rubio defended the administration’s handling of Congress, stating he personally contacted congressional leaders the night before the operation.

“We complied with the law 100%,” he said.

Iran has consistently denied seeking to build a nuclear weapon. While its ballistic missiles are capable of striking US forces and regional allies, analysts have noted that Tehran lacks the capability to directly target the US mainland.

Rubio also denied that regime change is an official objective, despite US-Israeli strikes reportedly killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior figures. He confirmed that no diplomatic engagement with Tehran is currently underway.

“While we would love to see a new regime, the bottom line is — no matter who governs that country a year from now, they’re not going to have these ballistic missiles and they’re not going to have these drones to threaten us,” Rubio said.

He did not rule out the possibility of deploying ground troops but emphasized that the US is not currently positioned for a ground invasion and downplayed the likelihood of such action in the near term.