US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told counterparts around the world that Washington does not currently expect to launch new offensive strikes against Iran, as the Trump administration shifts its focus to economic pressure and restoring shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, Channel 12 reported Tuesday.
Rubio did not rule out US military action if Iran initiates new hostilities, according to two sources familiar with the conversations.
The change in emphasis comes as Washington imposes new sanctions on Tehran and pushes to normalize traffic through the vital waterway. At the same time, Iran warned that the strait will remain closed unless the United States ends the war, nearly six months after the US and Israel launched their offensive, and fulfills commitments Tehran says Washington violated according to a June memorandum of understanding.
The US approach is expected to remain in place at least through the country’s midterm elections in early November, after which the possibility of a broader military campaign could again be considered, according to the Channel 12 report.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday laid out new sanctions on Iran, which he called “economic asphyxiation,” warning that countries that do not support the US economic campaign would “share in the isolation” of the Islamic Republic.
