Trump's third option for Iran; Economic pressure without deadlines.
Axios reported, citing three people present at the closed-door meeting of the Group of Seven foreign ministers in Paris, that Marco Rubio said that Donald Trump had chosen to continue economic pressure as the "third option" after considering renewing the war or reaching an agreement with Iran; A strategy that has no deadline.
According to that media outlet, Trump described the new round of strikes on Iran as "highly unlikely" after meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani on Monday and saying he saw no need for it. On the other hand, he supported the continuation of the economic pressure, the naval blockade and the implementation of the "Iron Gate" program to cut off land routes for the transfer of advanced weapons and technology to Iran.
"We will not make a stupid agreement," Rubio said at the G7 meeting. "Our third option is to continue our current operations." He claimed that economic pressures limit Tehran's ability to restore its military power and emphasized that the American president does not see himself under time pressure to achieve results.
After this meeting, the US Secretary of State called Iran's conditions for the agreement "ridiculous" and expressed hope that the increase in economic pressure would change Tehran's position over time.
Axios writes that the war with Iran has become a political burden for the Trump administration and has become costly for Republicans in the midterm elections. The disagreement on the continuation of the war or negotiations also led to tension at the highest levels of the American government; While Israel supported the renewed attacks, most of the Persian Gulf countries were against it.
According to this report, Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Jared Kushner were supportive of continuing the economic pressure. This group opposed the renewal of the war, and at the same time, it did not see Iran's current positions as a basis for an agreement in accordance with the interests of the United States.
On the other hand, an American official told Axios that Turkey, Iraq and Pakistan are concerned about extending the economic pressure on Iran.