US President
Donald Trump has settled on a third option in the Iran war, choosing to intensify economic pressure on Tehran rather than resume military strikes or agree to a peace deal on terms Washington considers unacceptable, according to an Axios report.
US secretary of state
Marco Rubio outlined the administration's approach during a meeting with G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday, saying Trump was not limited to choosing between renewed military action and a negotiated agreement with Iran.
Instead, Washington plans to continue its existing pressure campaign and further tighten the financial squeeze on Tehran, Axios reported.
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Axios → settle → Tehran
"The President doesn't just have two options.
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President → have → options
It's not just returning to war or signing a ridiculous peace deal.
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It → return → deal
We won't do a stupid deal.
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We → do → deal
The third option we have is to continue to do what we do now," Rubio said.
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Rubio → have → what
He argued that maintaining the current strategy would steadily increase the financial burden on Tehran without forcing Washington to set a deadline for ending the pressure campaign.
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maintaining → argue → campaign
The strategy aims to weaken Iran's financial infrastructure to the point where it struggles to fund armed groups or rebuild its military capabilities.
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it → aim → capabilities
Rubio also argued that Tehran was inflicting serious damage on its own economy by refusing to accept Washington's conditions.
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Tehran → argue → conditions
"The President is not under false time pressure, the Iranians are inflicting major damage on their own economy," Rubio mentioned.
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Rubio → inflict → economy
The approach comes after months of uncertainty over the direction of the conflict.
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approach → come → conflict
Trump has repeatedly threatened devastating military action against Iran while insisting that Tehran would eventually give in to Washington's demands.
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Tehran → threaten → demands
The conflict has also become a domestic political liability, with Republican candidates suffering setbacks in the midterm legislative contests.
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candidates → become → contests
An American official close to the administration told Axios that Trump had been weighing several options without being certain which course to pursue.
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Trump → tell → course
However, after meeting Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Monday, Trump signalled that he preferred to avoid another round of military strikes.
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he → meet → strikes
He described the possibility of fresh attacks on Iranian targets as highly unlikely and unnecessary under the current circumstances.
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He → describe → circumstances
The administration instead plans to maintain its economic offensive and naval blockade while pursuing a new operation, 'Iron Gate'.
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administration → plan → operation
The operation is aimed at dismantling ground transportation routes allegedly used to smuggle advanced weapons and technology.
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operation → aim → weapons
According to administration sources cited by Axios, Rubio was among the key figures in Trump's national security team who advocated this approach.
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who → accord → approach
Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, CIA director John Ratcliffe and presidential adviser Jared Kushner were also involved in the discussions.
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Bessent → involve → discussions
The officials reportedly opposed a renewed military escalation, arguing that Iran's current negotiating position remained fundamentally at odds with American interests.
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position → oppose → interests
They favoured maintaining stringent financial pressure on the regime instead.
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They → favour → regime
Rubio also expressed doubts about the prospects of an immediate diplomatic breakthrough, saying Iran's preconditions for formal negotiations were unworkable.
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preconditions → express → negotiations
Speaking to reporters after the G7 ministerial meeting, he said Tehran wanted an agreement but had failed to put forward constructive proposals.
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Tehran → speak → proposals
He suggested that prolonged economic pressure would eventually force Iran to reconsider its position, as mounting financial difficulties would become increasingly difficult for its leadership to sustain.
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leadership → suggest → position
"Eventually you have to eat," Rubio said, suggesting that basic material realities would eventually sway even the most uncompromising factions within the Iranian hierarchy.
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realities → have → hierarchy
However, Washington's strategy of maintaining an extended economic squeeze has raised concerns among some of its key regional partners, including Turkey, Pakistan and Iraq, an administration official told Axios.
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official → maintain → Axios
The three countries reportedly have reservations about Washington's preference for indefinite financial pressure over efforts to secure a stable, negotiated settlement with Tehran.
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countries → have → Tehran
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