U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the U.S. economic sanctions and naval blockade are working so well that U.S. President Donald Trump does not need to conduct major combat operations against Iran.
Speaking in Paris after two days of meetings with G7 allies, he 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.
He added that Trump has also received input from regional allies in the Middle East confirming this assessment.
"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. Never has Iran ever faced the inability to sell energy in the global market like they are today," 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.
