US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told several allied foreign ministers that Washington does not expect to launch new strikes against Iran "for the time being," signaling a shift toward economic and maritime pressure, Axios reported on Tuesday.
Citing a US official and a second source with knowledge of the matter, Axios said Rubio reportedly outlined the Trump administration's current Iran strategy in recent phone calls with foreign counterparts, saying the focus would instead be on increasing economic pressure through a US naval blockade and a new sanctions initiative announced by the Treasury Department.
The administration also plans to move as much Iranian oil as possible through the Strait of Hormuz and into global energy markets, according to the report.
One US official told Axios that Rubio made clear Washington was not planning a return to major combat operations, although he did not rule out military strikes if Iran attacks first.
A second US official described the clearing of mines from the Strait of Hormuz by the US Navy as a potential turning point in the conflict, claiming it had largely neutralized one of Iran's principal forms of leverage.
According to Axios, one US official said the current approach could remain in place until after the US midterm elections, after which a renewed military campaign could again become an option.
Earlier Tuesday, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi rejected reports that US forces had cleared mines in the waterway or were preparing to send mine-sweeping vessels into the area.
"If the United States claims that the mines have been completely cleared, why doesn't a US ship pass through?" Gharibabadi said. "If they have cleared them, why don't they pass? No one except Iran knows the location of these mines."
He warned that US mine-sweeping vessels entering the area would be considered targets.
"If US mine-sweepers enter the region, they will become targets for us," Gharibabadi said, adding that US President Donald Trump's comments about mine clearance were intended only to calm markets.
