Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, says there is no need for major combat operations against Iran at present because the US economic campaign is working. He was speaking at a press conference after the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris on Tuesday 10 November, according to CBS News, Xinhua and Al Arabiya.
"The economic campaign [against Iran] is so devastating that right now there is no need for major combat operations."
He added: "That's what I told our allies here today."
Rubio said Trump "has concluded that for the time being there is no need for major combat operations" because the US is achieving the same objective by economic means, CBS News reports. He said that if Iran crosses "red lines" the "US military stands ready", and warned of a "terrible price" for Tehran, according to CBS News and Gulf News.
These on-the-record remarks match what four anonymous G7 diplomats told Reuters earlier. By their account, Rubio told ministers privately that the US would keep imposing "devastating" economic costs and had options beyond resuming the war. Rubio has not said what the red lines are.
CBS News reports that European G7 members had pressed Rubio to avoid any new escalation against Iran.