U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed American diplomats to pressure foreign governments to take immediate action to neutralize Iran’s strike capabilities.

According to a leaked confidential cable obtained by ABC News, the directive aims to mitigate the "high risk" of attacks from Iran and its regional proxies.

In the message, Rubio urged diplomats to call on host nations to "act swiftly to degrade the ability of Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist groups to conduct attacks on their soil and against their citizens."

"Action Request" Issued Globally
The cable, sent Monday (March 16) to all diplomatic and consular posts, was labeled as an "Action Request" with the subject line: "Heightened Concerns Regarding IRGC Activities." U.S. officials were instructed to deliver the message—classified as sensitive but unclassified—to the "highest appropriate levels" of foreign governments by March 20.

The push comes as the Trump administration seeks international backing for its military campaign, specifically focusing on building a coalition to ensure the Strait of Hormuz remains fully open. President Donald Trump stated Monday that a list of partner nations would be announced shortly.

Strength in Collective Pressure
While the cable did not detail specific new threats, it emphasized that multilateral cooperation is the most effective strategy to force a change in Tehran’s behavior.

"We assess that the Iranian government is more sensitive to collective action than to unilateral measures," the cable stated. "Joint pressure is more likely to compel them to change their behavior than unilateral steps." It further added, "We must act now while international attention is focused on stopping Iran’s terrorist operations... do not let this critical window pass."

Core Objectives of "Operation Epic Fury"
A State Department spokesperson, when contacted by ABC News, noted that the administration remains focused on regional stability, accusing the IRGC and Hezbollah of undermining peace.

Diplomats were instructed to highlight the goals of "Operation Epic Fury," which include:

• Neutralizing Iran’s nuclear program.
• Destroying its ballistic missile program.
• Dismantling proxy networks.
• Degrading Iranian naval capabilities.

The directive also advised diplomatic posts to coordinate these efforts with Israeli counterparts where appropriate and urged nations that have not yet designated the IRGC and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations to do so "expeditiously."

"The IRGC has directly conducted terrorist and assassination plots on foreign soil," the cable warned, "designed to terrorize the public and harm your civilians."
Source: ABC News