MANILA — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday Iranians “need to come to their senses,” adding that Tehran will “pay a very heavy price for the things they are doing”.
“I just don’t think they’re serious about making a deal,” Rubio told reporters in Manila.
“The problem with them is you can’t make a deal with people unless they’re going to keep it,” the US top diplomat said, claiming that Tehran “breaks” or tries to “change the deal” after entering into them.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ASEAN conference, Rubio said Washington had upheld its side of an agreement with Iran, accusing Tehran of repeatedly reneging on deals while suffering “tremendous losses.”
“These people make deals and then break them almost immediately, or they decide, ‘Oh, let’s change the deal.’ That’s not how deals work,” Rubio said.
“Now they’re paying the price for it. And maybe they’ll change their mind over the next few days as they continue to suffer great losses,” he added.
Iran has witnessed daily US attacks on civilian infrastructure and military targets for a 12th consecutive night.
When asked about Iranian officials referring to an “eye for an eye” policy, Rubio said Trump’s approach was “a head for an eye”.
“They will pay a very heavy price for the things they are doing. They are already paying a heavy price,” Rubio said, claiming the country’s industrial infrastructure was being “decimated,” resulting in “billions” of dollars of damage.
Rubio also said Yemen’s Houthi rebels had been “suckered” by Iran into attacking Red Sea shipping.
“The Houthis largely were smart and stayed out of all this throughout the conflict, but they now apparently have gotten themselves suckered into this, going after Saudi Arabia and their ships,” he said on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Manila.
“I hope they will de-escalate, because I think the Houthis, frankly, got snookered into this thing by the Iranians,” he told reporters.
Source: Saudi Gazette