At least 12 US troops have been injured on a Saudi Arabian airbase as Donald Trump and Marco Rubio have both claimed the war is close to an end.Mr Trump, speaking to the Saudi Investment forum in Florida, said there were still 3,554 targets to hit in Iran.And Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, said the US was “very confident” of achieving its military goals.Asked when how long the Iran war is expected to last, Rubio said: “We are talking weeks, not months.”
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
The former Florida Senator added that US military goals could be accomplished without the need for ground soldiers.But Mr Rubio admitted some troops had recently been deployed to the region, “to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust the contingencies, should they emerge”.Two units consisting of thousands of Marines have been sent to the region, the first of which will arrive before the end of March on an amphibious assault ship.In his speech in front of Saudi business leaders, the President said the remaining military targets would be “done pretty quickly”.”And at some point we’re going to have to determine what we do,” added Mr Trump.US troops on the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia were injured in an Iranian military strike on Friday.Two of those injuries are said to be serious, adding to the more than 300 US military service members casualties since the war broke out.The US previously said 273 of the injured troops have since returned to active duty.LATEST ON THE IRAN WAR:FBI director HACKED by Iran with private emails and photographs published onlineIran ‘readies one million troops in preparation for massive US ground invasion’Israel kills Iranian navy chief in charge of Strait of Hormuz blockadeThe Iran war has resulted in the deaths of 13 US service members so far.The President said he had productive negotiations with Iran, despite Tehran’s assertions that no talks have happened.Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said he was expecting a response from Iran to the 15 point proposal to end the war soon.Earlier this week, Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, said the United States has struck more than 10,000 military targets since the beginning of the war.Trump has named multiple goals to bring the end of the war, including the denuclearisation of Iran, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and regime change.On Thursday, Trump announced he had extended the deadline for Tehran to reopen the waterway or face attacks against Iran’s civilian energy grid.The blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, which 20 per cent of the world’s oil flowed through before Iran implemented a blockade, has led to the fifth straight weekly decline on the broad market index, with the Nasdaq dropping 3.2 per cent and the Dow sliding 0.9 per cent.The S&P 500 marked its worst week since the war began, and Brent crude oil rose above $110 (£82.91), both indicators the market is becoming wary of statements made by Washington.
Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter
