ERBIL, Kurdistan region - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington no longer sees a need for major combat operations against Iran, saying a blockade and economic sanctions have devastated the country's economy even as it warned that the US military remains ready to launch further strikes if necessary.
Speaking at a press briefing during the G7 Summit in Paris, Rubio said the blockade and US economic sanctions have induced economic collapse.
“The economic pain that is being inflicted on Iran is extraordinary and it compounds, it's growing every day; these sanctions get worse over time they get more painful as time goes on,” said Rubio, adding that “there's no need for major combat operations.”
In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump said he had discussed his assessment with regional allies, including Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and other countries preferred maintaining the status quo, including the continuation of the US naval blockade and Operation Iron Gate, which he described as operating by land and sea.
“All have agreed that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon - That is non-negotiable” Trump said, adding that the US was “locked and loaded” and ready to respond to any changes in the Middle East, although he said further escalation appeared “unlikely.”
Responding to a question about the legality of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's role in the Iran war, Rubio cited direct orders from the commander-in-chief, saying that they “did it quite effectively on all those fronts.”
Hegseth faced an impeachment resolution over his handling of US military operations. Speaking at a Pentagon briefing on Tuesday, Hegseth dismissed the effort as a “political spectacle” and defended the operations, saying they were lawful orders.
Trump acknowledged the Iran war as a factor contributing to his party’s defeat in last week's midterm congressional elections. Vice President JD Vance affirmed the same sentiment in a post on X, stating that “The reason we lost is the war.”
The US has maintained sanctions against Iran for decades aimed curtailing the country's primary revenue streams, armament acquisition, and disrupting business enterprises linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), but ramped up efforts in the latest sanctions package dubbed Operation Economic Outcast launched in August by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
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