Rubio: Iran is Weaker than Ever

SadaNews - On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Iran has become "weaker than ever," predicting that protests will eventually resume as the United States intensifies its pressure.

Rubio added during his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that "the regime may be weaker than ever, and the main problem it faces is... that it has no means to respond to the main demands of the protesters, primarily the collapse of their economy."

In another context, Rubio anticipated a permanent diplomatic mission in Venezuela "in the near future," following weeks after the arrest of Nicolas Maduro.

Rubio said: "We have a team on the ground assessing the situation, and we believe we can establish a U.S. diplomatic mission in the near future, which will allow us to obtain timely information and respond to the situation."

Rubio continued that Washington has established a communication channel "characterized by a great deal of respect and effectiveness" with the interim leaders in Venezuela, according to "Reuters."

The U.S. State Department has begun initial steps to reopen the embassy in Caracas. In early January, shortly after Maduro's ousting, the department sent a team of diplomats and security personnel from the Venezuela Affairs Unit to the embassy in the Venezuelan capital, with the aim of conducting an initial assessment of the possibility of gradually resuming operations.

A senior State Department official stated the day before yesterday that "a limited number of U.S. diplomats and technicians are currently in Caracas to conduct initial assessments in preparation for gradually resuming operations."