Rubio: Economic Pressure on Iran Makes Military Action Unnecessary

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the economic pressure imposed on Iran has reached a level that makes resorting to military action unnecessary at this stage, noting that sanctions have inflicted significant damage on the Iranian economy and placed unprecedented pressure on the regime.

Rubio said, during a speech at the National Lawyers Conference in Washington on Saturday, that the US strategy focuses on continuing economic pressure on Tehran, depriving it of financial resources and equipment that could be used to develop its nuclear program.

The US Secretary of State stressed that achieving victory in this file is not necessarily linked to military action, but rather fundamentally lies in ensuring that Iran cannot acquire a nuclear weapon under any circumstances.

Earlier on Saturday, three informed sources said that President Donald Trump told senior advisors in recent days that he might refrain from attacking Iran if the United States does not face new provocations from Tehran or its allied Houthis in Yemen.

Trump has oscillated between threatening to escalate the war with new strikes and reducing combat operations. Current and former officials say he appears undecided on how to end the unpopular war he launched in February with Israel.

But in meetings with national security advisors and after a series of intelligence briefings, Trump said he is considering refraining from launching strikes, according to the sources who requested anonymity, like others interviewed for this story.

Trump expressed sympathy for regional allies who asked him not to return to all-out war.

"I can end it immediately, but based on the request of the countries I seek to protect, we are doing it in a slightly longer way, and in a more civilized manner," Trump told sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith on Thursday.