Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that he told G7 allies the US economic sanctions and naval blockade are working so well that President Donald Trump does not need to conduct major combat operations against Iran.
Speaking to reporters in Paris after two days of meetings with G7 allies, Rubio repeatedly pushed back on the assertion that not returning to military action would amount to a stalemate or status quo.
"The economic pain that is being inflicted on Iran right now is extraordinary, and it compounds. It's growing every day," Rubio said.
On Monday, Trump said he plans to hold off on military strikes against Iran after appeals from countries in the region, including from Qatar's prime minister in White House talks.
"We don't need to conduct military strikes if we're achieving the same objective through economic means and economic pressure. That's not stalemate," Rubio said. "Never has Iran ever faced the inability to sell energy in the global market like they are today."
VANCE PREFERS DEAL WITH IRAN: SOURCE
Some of Trump's top advisers also prefer economic pressure over military strikes, namely newly installed White House chief of staff Stephen Miller and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a person familiar with the thinking said. Vice President JD Vance prefers a deal with Iran, but Trump is for now convinced that a tenable deal is not possible, the person said.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump has acknowledged the Iran war was one reason for Republicans' defeat in last week's midterm congressional elections, while Vance, seen as a potential successor to Trump when his term ends in two years, was more definitive, saying, "The reason we lost is the war."
The US has maintained sanctions against Iran for decades, most of which have been aimed at curtailing the country's oil revenue, acquisition of weapons components and at cutting off funding for business enterprises controlled by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a dominant force in the Iranian economy.
Tehran has weathered the sanctions, but the naval blockade that the US imposed has inflicted severe economic damage on the country.
STRAIT OF HORMUZ SECURITY
Rubio also pressed other nations Tuesday to “step up” and help protect shipping from Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz but acknowledged making no headway on the issue at the Paris talks.
“I raised it. I didn’t get a response,” Rubio said when asked how other G7 foreign ministers reacted to his appeal.
Rubio said the United States will continue to defend shipping through the strategic waterway, where vessels continue to face drone attacks.
"We've actually encouraged our partners to join us in the effort of defending global shipping,” he said after two days of talks in Paris on the Middle East, Ukraine and other issues.
US allies including France have said fighting would have to stop before they could provide minesweepers and other assistance to safeguard tankers and other ships passing through the strait.
Rubio described the situation as “kind of a Catch-22.”
“Part of the challenge we have is there’s countries out there that say, ‘Well, we’re ready to provide forces to help defend shipping once there’s no risk of conflict,'” he said.
“We think it's in the interest of the world to protect shipping because the US doesn’t get any oil from there,” he added. “These countries should step up. I think a couple are thinking about it," he said.
