The latest:
Washington will keep imposing what it calls devastating operational economic costs on Iran, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 foreign ministers in Paris on Tuesday, according to four G7 diplomats. Rubio argued the US has options beyond either resuming war or accepting Iranian demands, and said sanctions are limiting Tehran’s ability to fund its regional activities and proxies.
Details:
- The setting: The exchange took place at a Paris meeting of G7 foreign ministers, grouping Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, alongside the European Union. Four diplomats described Rubio’s remarks on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported.
- The language: Diplomats said Rubio used blunt terms about Iranian officials, with two recounting that he described them as “crazy”. One diplomat quoted him as saying Washington would continue imposing devastating operational economic costs on Tehran.
- Trump’s pause: Rubio spoke a day after President Donald Trump said he intends to hold off on new military strikes against Iran for now, responding to appeals from countries in the region, including one from Qatar’s prime minister during White House talks. Trump said the naval blockade at the Strait of Hormuz stays.
- The Qatari track: After meeting Trump, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a principal mediator with Iran, made an unscheduled stop at the Paris meeting and met European and Saudi ministers. Two European diplomats said he voiced cautious optimism that a diplomatic solution remains possible.
- The internal split: One diplomat said senior advisers including Rubio, White House chief of staff Stephen Miller and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent back severe economic pressure. Vice President JD Vance, who blamed the war for Republican midterm losses last week, favors a deal; Trump currently sees no viable agreement.
- Rubio’s defense: Speaking in Florida on Sunday, Rubio said Trump launched the war to stop Iran from seeking a nuclear weapon even though confronting hard challenges is not necessarily popular. He declined to comment directly on the Republican defeat at Tuesday’s elections, and said he could not claim the two sides are near a breakthrough.
- The economic damage: The Associated Press reported that voters blamed Trump’s policies for rising energy prices driven by shipping disruption at the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carried a fifth of the world’s oil before the more than eight-month war.
- Trump’s conditions: Trump told CNN by phone Sunday that renewed strikes are highly unlikely as long as negotiations progress toward a strong agreement, but said the US has identified infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges, to hit if military action resumes. Rubio said Washington retains the right to self-defense against clear threats to shipping or US forces.
- Tehran’s terms: The Associated Press reported Iran is weighing Qatari proposals but officials said it is unwilling to negotiate until Washington accepts core conditions: lifting the port blockade and sanctions, unfreezing assets, paying war damages, and ending regional hostilities including Israeli operations in Lebanon.
- The nuclear file: Iran has consistently maintained its nuclear program is peaceful. The International Atomic Energy Agency puts its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% at 440.9 kilograms, a short technical step from the 90% level needed for weapons.
Background:
US forces have continued limited strikes on Iran, including on its air defenses at least twice in the past week. On Saturday the military fired on and disabled a commercial ship that Washington said was trying to breach its naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Between the lines:
The gap between Rubio’s sanctions-first case in Paris and Vance’s post-midterm blame for the war marks a live argument inside the administration over whether economic pressure substitutes for a deal or merely postpones one. Trump’s simultaneous positions — strikes delayed, blockade retained, 38 targets identified — keep both tracks open without committing to either.
What’s next
Watch Iran’s response to the Qatari proposals, whether the Hormuz blockade holds or is eased as part of any ceasefire framework, and whether US strikes on Iranian air defenses continue during the stated pause.
