Trump swung between war and diplomacy — then chose a third way
When Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his G7 counterparts in Paris on Tuesday, he told them that President Trump had considered resuming the war with Iran or cutting a deal — but chose a third option: strangling the Iranian regime, three people who attended the meeting told Axios.
Key points
- Why it matters: The Iran war has become a political albatross in Trump's second term, costing Republicans dearly in the midterms.
- This debate over which course to follow has led to strife between several factions within the top echelon of the administration.
- That group opposed the resumption of war, didn't believe Iran's current positions could lead to a deal that serves U.S.
The other side: The course Trump has chosen is completely at odds with the directive Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei gave his government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Additional details
- The third option we have is to continue to do what we do now," Rubio said, according to three people in the room.
- officials say that Rubio was among the members of Trump's national security team who pushed for the strangulation strategy, along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Jared Kushner, Trump's adviser and son-in-law.
- But if the current stalemate continues and pressure on Iran intensifies, the IRGC could see it as a green light for more aggressive attacks in the region in an attempt to break the status quo.
- Khamenei ordered an end to the "no war, no deal" status quo, demanding a clear conclusion to the war.
- "He's been searching for the solution, but he wasn't sure what's the best way to go," a U.S.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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