Offensive stage of Iran war is over, US Secretary of State Rubio says

Offensive stage of Iran war is over, US Secretary of State Rubio says13 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKathryn ArmstrongWatch: Captain of stranded ship in Strait of Hormuz tells BBC of 'pressure'US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the initial US-Israeli offensive in Iran - known as Operation Epic Fury - is over after it reached its objectives."We would prefer the path of peace. What the president [Donald Trump] would prefer is a deal," he told reporters on Tuesday. His comments come after a spate of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz raised fears the ceasefire between the US and Iran was in jeopardy. The US has said it aims to guide stranded ships out of the Gulf through the largely closed waterway.Tehran has not commented on Rubio's statement, but Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf earlier said: "We know well that the continuation of the status quo is intolerable for America, while we are just getting started."Ghalibaf, Iran's top negotiator in last month's talks with the US, said "Shipping security and energy transit have been jeopardised by the US and its allies with the ceasefire violations and blockade. However, their evil acts will fail".Late on Tuesday the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a verified source had told it that a cargo vessel has been struck "by an unknown projectile" in the Strait of Hormuz. Further details were not immediately available.Earlier in the day the UAE said its air defences were engaging missiles and drones from Iran for a second day in a row. On Monday it accused Iran of firing missiles and drones including a strike on an oil port in the emirate of Fujairah which is located outside the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a "dangerous escalation".Iran on Tuesday denied launching any attacks on the UAE, with a military spokesman saying that, "If such an action had been taken, we would have announced it firmly and clearly&qu...