Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested to senators on Wednesday that the United States could potentially launch a preemptive strike on Iran to prevent an assault on U.S. forces overseas, but emphasized he does not want it to happen. 

Rubio made the comment during a hearing in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding the U.S. military's capture of Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro, but he was also questioned about the military build-up in the Middle East this week. 

The secretary said he felt the build-up in the Middle East was necessary to ensure that the 30,000 American troops stationed in the region are protected in case tensions with Iran escalate further. 

“And so I think it’s wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and potentially, not necessarily what’s going to happen, but if necessary, preemptively prevent the attack against thousands of American servicemen and other facilities in the region,” Rubio, who also serves as National Security Advisor, said. 

“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but that’s, I think, what you’re seeing now is the ability to posture assets in the region to defend against what could be an Iranian threat against our personnel,” he added.

Rubio also told senators that he believes the Iranian regime is “weaker than it has ever been."

The comments come as the United States and its allies prepare for President Donald Trump to authorize attacks on Iran in the wake of Iran's brutal crackdown against anti-regime protests and its possible retaliation, according to The Hill. 

Trump threatened to attack Iran again earlier Wednesday if it did not "make a deal" with the U.S. that included a promise not to pursue nuclear weapons.

"As I told Iran once before, MAKE A DEAL! They didn’t, and there was 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' a major destruction of Iran," he posted to Truth Social. "The next attack will be far worse! Don’t make that happen again."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.