Rubio Says ‘Major Combat Operations’ in Iran War Are No Longer Needed

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign against Iran was effective enough that “there’s really no need for major combat operations any longer.” Mr. Rubio’s declaration was the most explicit signal yet that President Trump does not intend to escalate his conflict with Iran after last week’s U.S. midterm elections. Speaking to reporters in Paris, Mr. Rubio added that the United States might still respond with force if Iran “crosses certain red lines,” which he did not specify.

A day earlier, Mr. Trump told reporters that the war against Iran “militarily is effectively over.” But while Mr. Trump often opines off the cuff, Mr. Rubio lent an official veneer to that position by saying he had informed his counterparts about it on Tuesday at a meeting of Group of 7 foreign ministers. Israeli officials and Iran hawks in Washington have called for more bombings in the war against Iran, which began more than eight months ago.

But Mr. Rubio said that further American strikes were no longer necessary because a combination of U.S. economic sanctions and an American naval blockade “are doing devastation” to Iran’s economy. He would not say how much longer Iran might be able to endure the American pressure, or what outcome the United States was pursuing. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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