Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Paris on Tuesday, November 10, after two days of G7 foreign ministers meetings, that the United States does not need to resume major combat operations against Iran. Sanctions and a naval blockade are already achieving the objective, he said. “The economic pain that is being inflicted on Iran right now is extraordinary and it compounds. It’s growing every day,” Rubio said.
Rubio rejected the idea that holding off amounts to a stalemate. “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,” he said. “Never has Iran ever faced the inability to sell energy in the global market like they are today.” Iran still has a small amount of oil on the water from a brief ceasefire period, and once it is gone, almost all of its oil revenue will dry up.
He kept a military warning in place: if Iran crosses American red lines, which he did not spell out, the U.S. military is ready to act. He called Iran’s negotiating conditions absurd, saying, “Eventually, you have to eat.” President Donald Trump said on Monday that he plans to hold off on new strikes for now while keeping the naval blockade, with U.S. forces locked and loaded. The war is in its ninth month, since U.S. and Israeli strikes opened it on February 28.
Iran’s answer was a flat rejection. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, told Al Mayadeen that American claims of continuing negotiations are “a complete lie.” “We are not currently conducting any negotiations with the Americans,” he said. Iran has set seven conditions, including ending the war on all fronts, lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets and lifting sanctions, and says the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until all are met.
Why it matters: Washington argues economic pressure grows every month and time is on its side, while Tehran says there are no talks at all. That gap will decide whether this pause ends in a deal or a return to strikes.
Full story: https://zarknews.com/rubio-paris-sanctions-iran-strikes-not-needed/
Sources: U.S. Department of State; Reuters; Zark News. File photo / Photo: U.S. Department of State (public domain). Video: Zark News.
