Trump Makes His Decision: Choking Iran "Economically"

Washington – Agencies: Three officials who attended a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his counterparts from the Group of Seven in Paris revealed that he informed them that US President Donald Trump had considered two options regarding Tehran: resuming war or reaching an agreement, but he chose a third option consisting of “suffocating” the Iranian regime, according to Axios. The officials added that Rubio explained US policy toward Iran during a closed-door meeting with the foreign ministers of the G7 countries. The US minister stated, “The President does not have only two options... It is not just about returning to war or signing a foolish peace deal... We will not make a stupid deal. The third option is to continue what we are doing now.” He added that the United States is imposing devastating costs on the Iranian economy, making it difficult for Tehran to fund terrorist organizations or rebuild its military capabilities, emphasizing that there is no deadline for this policy. Rubio also affirmed that Trump “is not under artificial time pressure, and the Iranians are severely harming their own economy.” Rubio was among the members of Trump’s National Security Team who pushed for an “economic strangulation” strategy, alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Trump’s advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner. This team opposed resuming war and did not believe that Iran’s current positions could lead to an agreement serving US interests, advocating instead for the third option. Trump clarified after meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Monday that a new round of strikes against Iran is “highly unlikely” and “does not appear necessary.” Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Mohsen Rezaee, adopted new hardline positions regarding negotiations. He reiterated his country’s adherence to its conditions, stating that Tehran had requested a clear and explicit response from the United States to its seven conditions, but Washington has not yet provided any response. He indicated that negotiations between Tehran and Washington would not continue, nor would preparations be made for a meeting in Qatar, according to the Tasnim Iranian news agency. On another note, Rezaee stated that Tehran would not allow even a single grain of enriched nuclear material to leave the country. The United States insists that nuclear issues be part of any preliminary negotiations with Iran aimed at ending the war between the two countries. Meanwhile, Iran condemned yesterday the US offer of a $20 million reward for information about its nuclear program, describing the move as “abhorrent and regrettable.” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on the International Atomic Energy Agency and the UN Security Council to condemn the reward announced last week. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran’s nuclear program was effectively destroyed by sudden US strikes targeting major Iranian nuclear facilities during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025.