US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in Paris where he told a meeting of G7 ministers on Tuesday that the United States is "open to diplomacy" to end the conflict with Iran but that "the Iranian demands are totally unrealistic."
Tehran is not backing off its seven conditions, which include things like the removal of sanctions and the payment of war reparations. Rubio stated, "We expect that could change – and if it does, we're prepared for diplomacy."
There was one big line in particular from the US top diplomat that is grabbing headlines. Rubio declared there is "no need" for renewed major combat operations against the Islamic Republic.
He signaled that the ecomomic war, however, will keep going and even be intensified: "The economic campaign (against Iran) is so devastating that right now there is no need for major combat operations," Rubio described after the G7 foreign ministers met. "That’s what I told our allies here today."
Echoing prior such statements of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Rubio stated, "The economic pressure on Iran is going to get even worse."
He went on to try and explain how the ratcheting economic pressure is beginning to take effect. "They need money for their nuclear programme. They need money in order to fund terrorism. Everything they do around the world, be it their support for Hamas, Hezbollah, Shia militias, their efforts to kill people all over the world, their cyber activities, their nuclear programme, all these things cost money," he said.
"The less money they have available to them, the less money they can use to fund their malign and nefarious activities," Rubio added.
This suggests that the Trump administration is ready to continue with a 'status quo' situation. President Trump actually said precisely this on Monday:
Donald Trump has said "Iran militarily is effectively over", and said that there is "positive momentum" behind negotiations to end the Middle East conflict.
"We're just keeping it the status quo," the US president said on Monday. "And we're doing that really at the behest of countries that are their neighbours."
And yet, it's become clear that Washington's (changing) objectives in the Iran war have not been accomplished. Tehran is this very week boasting that it has taken its missile and drone production to its underground 'missle cities' - which will further ensure it can expand its arsenal even under US and Israeli bombs
Both the White House and Israel have expressed a desire to see the Iranian government implode from within. Similar vibes...
And yet there's no major protests in the streets, as was hoped. While the economy is indeed being decimated, and with common Iranians struggling amid a currency collapse and runaway inflation, there's a likelihood that the wartime economic situation could simply persist for many years to come.
Syria is an example of an entire society that was under seige, ravaged by proxy war, its economy in ruins by years of sanctions - and yet the Assad government still managed to last for nearly 14 years. And this was with the Western/Gulf axis having had proxy forces or 'boots on the ground' - concentrated heavily in Idlib, and even amid a lengthy US military occupation in the northest of the country.
Ironically, the admin keeps talking tough while carrying a small stick, also politically neutered by last week's midterm blue wave...
Iran has a population of over 90 million people and is nearly nine times bigger than Syria in terms of geography. It is not simply going to be sanctioned into regime changing itself.