By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday called Israel’s strikes against Iran a “unilateral action” and said Washington was not involved while also urging Tehran not to target U.S. interests or personnel in the region.
KEY QUOTES
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a statement.
“Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel,” he added.
Rubio said U.S. ally Israel told Washington that its action “was necessary for its self-defense.”
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
Israel said it struck Iran late on Thursday U.S. time and early Friday in the Middle East. Iranian media said explosions were heard in Tehran, putting on edge a region where tensions had already been high since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.
CONTEXT
U.S. President Donald Trump had been seeking a new nuclear deal to place limits on Iran’s disputed uranium enrichment activities but the talks have appeared to be deadlocked.
The Trump administration has taken necessary steps to protect U.S. forces and remain in close contact with regional partners, Rubio said late on Thursday.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler and Saad Sayeed)
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