PARIS — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Washington will refrain from launching major combat operations against Iran, arguing that aggressive economic sanctions and an ongoing naval blockade are successfully crippling Tehran without the need for additional airstrikes.
Speaking after a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers in Paris, Rubio said the current financial campaign has removed the necessity for an expanded military conflict. His comments signal an evolving strategy from the White House following sweeping midterm election defeats for the Republican Party, an outcome that President Donald Trump acknowledged was partly fueled by voter frustration over war-driven energy costs.
Shifting Focus to Economic Pressure
Rubio told G7 partners that the U.S. will maintain its naval presence to secure shipping routes near the Strait of Hormuz while tightening the financial cordon around Iranian trade. The strategy centers on preserving a blockade of Iranian ports and considering steps to interdict land supply routes.
“We don’t need to conduct military strikes if we’re achieving the same objective through economic means and economic pressure,” Rubio said, adding that financial restrictions against Tehran would intensify.
The secretary’s remarks followed comments from Trump on Monday, who described renewed strikes on Iran as “quite unlikely.” Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said regional allies favored maintaining the current maritime blockade and noted “positive momentum” toward resolving the eight-month war, though he emphasized American forces remain “locked and loaded.”
Inside the administration, officials have expressed divergent views on how to conclude the conflict, according to reporting by Al Jazeera and Reuters. An informed source told Reuters that Vice President JD Vance favors negotiating an agreement, whereas Trump has remained doubtful that a workable deal can be struck immediately. Officials quoted by Axios indicated the administration has settled on a middle path favored by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and adviser Jared Kushner: ramping up economic asphyxiation while halting large-scale kinetic assaults.
Tehran Demands Concessions as Mediation Continues
The conflict, which escalated following U.S.-Israeli strikes in late February that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has severely disrupted global shipping. Commercial vessels continue to face missile and mine strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, where Emirati and British maritime authorities reported damage to separate tankers on Tuesday.
Iranian officials have adopted an unyielding posture toward Washington’s diplomatic overtures. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the crisis cannot be resolved through heightened sanctions or armed confrontation.
“The conflict with Iran will not be resolved through military means, nor by intensifying sanctions,” Araghchi said in comments carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, demanding that Washington respect Iran’s terms.
Tehran previously offered a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days, provided the U.S. lifts post-June sanctions, frees frozen assets, restores oil waivers, and curtails its regional military footprint. Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei went further, declaring that Tehran would not allow enriched uranium to leave the country and denying that any formal bilateral talks were occurring.
Political Costs Mount at Home
The tactical shift in Washington comes as political pressure mounts on the administration. A Reuters/Ipsos survey released Monday found that 71 percent of Americans, including 51 percent of Republicans and 93 percent of Democrats, support congressional legislation to end the war.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, currently facing impeachment efforts by the incoming Democratic congressional majority, maintained at a Pentagon briefing that the U.S. had achieved a decisive victory, claiming Iranian air and naval forces have been incapacitated.
Mediators in Qatar and Pakistan continue working to bridge the gap between both capitals. Whether Washington’s plan to rely solely on economic attrition can produce a durable diplomatic resolution without reigniting active combat remains uncertain.
