US Mentions Possibility of Ending Iran Conflict Within Weeks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the war with Iran will conclude within weeks and that victory is possible without deploying ground troops. Secretary Rubio made these remarks to reporters on the 27th (local time) after a G7 foreign ministers' meeting held near Paris, France. U.S. political outlet Axios reported that he mentioned during the G7 meeting that the war would last an additional two to four weeks.

While Secretary Rubio indicated that the U.S. is not directly asking European or other nations to participate in military operations against Iran, he urged countries with an interest in helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz to 'take some action' if they are affected by the blockade of the strait.

Progress towards peace negotiations remains slow. Secretary Rubio revealed that Iran has not responded to the 15-point ceasefire proposal presented by the Donald Trump administration, and Iranian officials have not clarified who the participants in the negotiations would be. The U.S. and Iran are communicating through indirect channels via third countries, and negotiations are being delayed due to uncertainty about Iran's ultimate decision-maker and some officials avoiding mobile phones for fear of assassination, Axios reported.

Iran is reportedly moving to establish a system for collecting transit fees from global vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Secretary Rubio characterized this as an 'illegal' and 'dangerous attempt,' emphasizing that preventing it is the most urgent task after the war concludes.