The United States expects its military operation in Iran to end in "weeks, not months," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after a meeting with the other Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers in France as the US-Israeli war approached it fifth week.
Speaking before departing on March 27, Rubio also said the United States can achieve its goals in Iran without ground troops, and that Iran may seek to set up a toll system for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which he said would not be acceptable.
He said the United States is "very confident" that it will achieve its objectives "very soon."
Rubio's remarks came as Iran warned of new attacks across the Middle East and urged civilians to avoid areas near US forces, a day after US President Donald Trump extended a deadline for Tehran to open the crucial oil-and-gas transport route until April 6.
In a statement, the G7 foreign ministers and the European Union's top diplomat called for an immediate halt to attacks against civilian infrastructure in the US-Israeli war with Iran.
"There can be no justification for the deliberate targeting of civilians in situations of armed conflict as well as attacks on diplomatic facilities," they said. The G7 comprises the United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan.
Iran made no move to open the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement on March 27, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it would keep the waterway closed and any potential attempts at transit would face "harsh measures."
"The movement of any vessel 'to and from' ports of origin belonging to allies and supporters of the Zionist-American enemies, to any destination and through any corridor, is prohibited," said the IRGC, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
Following the IRGC's warning, media reported that three vessels of various nationalities were turned back from the Strait of Hormuz on March 27.
The Strait of Hormuz accounts for around one-fifth of global oil shipments and the effective closure of it by Iranian forces has become a central issue of the conflict, which started with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.
A day earlier, Trump for a second time postponed threatened attacks on Iranian power plants for not opening the key waterway, citing what he said was a request from Tehran.
"As per Iranian Government request…I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time," Trump wrote in a social media post on March 26.
Last weekend, Trump said the United States would "obliterate" Iran's power plants if Tehran keeps blocking the Strait of Hormuz after 48 hours. He later extended the deadline until March 27.
On March 26, Trump also said talks with Iran "are ongoing" and "are going very well."
Senior Iranian officials have denied Tehran is in negotiations with Washington, but Iran said on March 25 that it was reviewing a 15-point US proposal and put forward what it said were five conditions that needed to be met in order for the conflict to end.
The US plan reportedly repeated Washington's demands for Iran to dismantle its nuclear facilities, limit its missile capabilities, and end its support for regional proxy forces.
Rubio said on March 27 that the US had not yet received a response from Iran.
Informally, Iran has responded sharply, saying the US conditions were excessive and that it will end the war when it chooses and if its conditions are met, insisting on its right to freely develop its ballistic missile program.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said on March 26 that the United States has viewed the list handed over to Tehran as a basis for negotiations to end the current conflict. He added there were signs Iran is interested in reaching an agreement.
"We will see where things lead, and if we can convince Iran that this is the inflection point with no good alternatives for them other than more death and destruction," Witkoff told reporters during a cabinet meeting at the White House.
At the same meeting, Trump said he believed Iran was seeking negotiations because of its "present" to the United States, which he said allowed 10 oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran has suggested that ships from "non-hostile" nations would have clear passage through the Strait of Hormuz. However, even if some vessels are allowed through, the overall uncertainty has made it difficult to secure insurance, effectively preventing ships from using the waterway.
With war showing no signs of easing after almost four full weeks, the fighting has continued to cause casualties and damage across the Middle East.
Following air strikes on various parts of Iran over the previous 24 hours, the authorities of Iran's Qom Province on March 27 reported at least three attacks on residential buildings in the Pardisan neighborhood of Qom city.
Morteza Heydari, a spokesman for the Qom governorate, told the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency that 18 people had been killed and 10 injured following the reports.
Separately, two Israeli soldiers -- both aged 21 -- were killed in Lebanon, according to a statement released by the Israeli military late on March 26.
The deaths brought the number of Israeli troops killed in the recently launched ground operations in southern Lebanon to four, according to military figures.
Israeli media reported one of the soldiers was killed in a rocket attack by Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group based in Lebanon that's deemed a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States. The second soldier was killed in an exchange of fire with fighters from the Shi'ite group, local media reported.
Citing information provided by the Iranian Red Crescent, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has reported more than 1,900 people have been killed since the beginning of the war, adding that at least 20,000 more have been injured. RFE/RL cannot independently verify the figures.
