Washington, Jan. 29 -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the possibility of preemptive action against Iran, telling lawmakers that Tehran's leadership is currently at its weakest point in decades, as Washington continues to reinforce its military posture across the Middle East.

On Wednesday, testifying before the Senate, Rubio said the Trump administration's decision to strengthen US assets in the region, including the recent arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group in the US Central Command area, was a "prudent" step aimed at protecting more than 30,000 US service members stationed across the region.

"And so I think it's wise and prudent to have a force posture within the region that could respond and potentially,...