Washington, April 1 : The United States is â??ahead of scheduleâ?? in achieving its objectives in Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with Fox News, asserting that ongoing military operations are being carried out with â??extraordinary efficiency.â??

â??Weâ??re well on our way and ahead of schedule on each of our objectives. We can see the finish line,â?? Rubio said.

He credited US forces for delivering results with precision and speed. â??Our military is achieving our objectives with extraordinary efficiency, something that I think will go down in history as one of the best-run tactical military operations in modern times,â?? he said.

Rubio also rejected criticism that the current situation could have been avoided through diplomacy, saying Iran had repeatedly failed to engage seriously. â??They refused to negotiate... For all these people out there talking about how this could've been avoided â?? they were given every opportunity, in multiple talks, and all they did was either reject or delay, and that's not going to happen under Donald Trump,â?? he said.

He framed the US actions as necessary to counter what he described as a growing strategic threat from Tehran. â??Iran was aiming to become the next North Korea, except run by radical Shia clerics with intercontinental missiles that could reach the US,â?? Rubio said.

â??Thatâ??s what would have been achieved had President Trump not taken the steps he did,â?? he added.

The Secretary of State emphasised that while Washington remains open to dialogue, it would not allow negotiations to be used as a delaying tactic. â??(POTUS) is not going to allow fake negotiations to be used as a delay tactic,â?? Rubio said.

â??We'll always be prepared to talk â?? but we're not going to allow that, or the failure of talks, to impede our ability to defend this country and protect this country from a real threat,â?? he added.

Rubioâ??s remarks underscore a dual-track US approach â?? signalling openness to talks while continuing military operations it considers essential for national security. His comments also reflect an effort to project confidence in both the pace and effectiveness of the campaign.

/IANS