Trump administration officials said Sunday that Iranian officials should pursue peace instead of war after the American military bombed three Iranian nuclear sites.
“If the regime wants peace, we’re ready for peace,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “If they want to do something else, they’re incredibly vulnerable. They can’t even protect their own airspace.”
U.S. bombers struck Iranian sites at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. Military officials claimed the attack was a rousing success, saying the sites suffered “extremely severe damage and destruction.”
American leaders insisted they had no plans for further escalation of the war.
“We have no interest in boots on the ground,” Vice President JD Vance said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I don’t fear that this is going to become a protracted conflict.”
But Iranian leaders, reeling from the U.S. attacks after nine days of war with Israel, said they had no plans for peace.
“There is no red line that [the Americans] have not crossed,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a press conference. “And the last one and the most dangerous one — what happened only last night — when they crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities.”
Araghchi said he would travel to Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin, a key ally of the Iranian regime.
Putin and President Trump have enjoyed an unusually cordial relationship for Russian and American leaders but appeared to hit a rough patch earlier this year over Putin’s continued attacks on Ukraine.
The conflict in Iran erupted on June 13, when Israel launched a surprise attack on several of the country’s military installations. Nine days of back-and-forth missile barrages followed, continuing Sunday with the killing of three Iranian Revolutionary Guard members.
Though the U.S. heavily funds and supports Israel’s military, American leaders had avoided direct intervention until the targeted attacks on nuclear sites. Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu had previously asked for American help, specifically the bunker-buster bombs used in the attacks, with hopes of destroying underground Iranian nuclear facilities.
“President Trump, your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history,” Netanyahu said.
With News Wire Services
