The U.S. Secretary of State said that NATO's survival depends on the United States, and the allies are well aware of this.

Secretary of State: Without the United States, NATO cannot exist, and Washington's allies understand this

Russian Satellite News Agency, Washington - U.S. Secretary of State Rubio stated that without the United States, NATO cannot exist, and Washington's allies understand this.

Speaking before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Rubio said, "Our partners understand the importance of the United States in NATO. Without the United States, NATO cannot exist. We also understand that for NATO to be stronger, our allies must be stronger."

Rubio said, "One of the things we have made clear to NATO allies is that the focus of the United States is not only in Europe. We have defense needs in the Western Hemisphere and defense priorities in the Indo-Pacific. We may be the richest country in the world, but our resources are not infinite."

Rubio stated that if Tehran threatens to attack U.S. forces in the region, the United States reserves the right to launch a preemptive strike against Iran.

Rubio said, "We need to maintain sufficient forces and capabilities in the region, even at a basic level, to prevent the possibility that the Iranian regime may decide to attack our forces in the region at some point due to certain events. President Trump has always reserved the right to take preemptive defensive action."

Rubio said, "All (U.S. military) forces are actually within the range of thousands of Iranian drones and long-range and short-range ballistic missiles, which pose a threat to our military presence."

Rubio also said that Washington does not rule out using force against the new government in Venezuela to ensure its maximum cooperation with the United States.

Rubio said, "We will closely monitor the actions of the interim government and how they cooperate with our phased plan to restore stability in Venezuela. There is no doubt, as President Trump said, if other methods fail, we are willing to use force to ensure maximum cooperation."

Original: toutiao.com/article/1855601517106176/

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