Rubio: Sanctions Are Hammering Iran, No Major Combat Needed

Marco Rubio stepped to the microphones Tuesday with a simple message on Iran: the bombs can wait. The US Secretary of State said there is currently no need for major combat operations against Tehran, pointing to sanctions he described as devastating for the Iranian economy.

Washington, he said, remains open to a peace agreement and isn't discouraging mediation efforts — but Tehran is apparently not ready to make a deal. Rubio pushed back on the idea that the conflict has stalled, insisting the US is ramping up pressure through the compounding effect of sanctions.

The Secretary of State also weighed in on the trilateral talks with Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. He said Washington wants to ensure Ukraine never feels threatened once the war ends, and noted European officials are right beside the US delegation — even though they weren't in the negotiating room. The format, he added, should eventually widen to include the European Union to land a settlement.

It wasn't a quiet day on the water either. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two violating tankers were abandoned in the Strait of Hormuz after a massive explosion sparked a fire. In a statement carried by Iranian media, the IRGC claimed a supertanker struck a naval mine, while a second vessel — allegedly under the protection of US aggressor warplanes — stopped transiting the strait after an incident and a fire.

From Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed European ceasefire proposals as a stalling tactic, saying Russia will not agree to another truce without understanding what happens next. He also said Moscow never received Armenia's application to withdraw from the CSTO and EAEU.

European capitals kept the aid flowing. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen announced another €150 million for Ukraine, aimed at its energy sector, saying people are already freezing and power outages are at a scale unseen since the war began. Separately, Ukraine's energy minister Denys Shmyhal said Canada pledged 40 million Canadian dollars ($28.4 million) to repair the Chernobyl protective structure, with 14 countries and organizations now contributing or pledging a combined €303 million to the EBRD-managed account.