Axios: Trump Has Adopted A New Strategy On Iran
- 11.11.2026, 12:32
The U.S. president opted for the third scenario.
U.S. President Donald Trump has decided not to return to either war with Iran or diplomacy. He has opted for a third scenario—intensifying economic pressure, which is intended to “strangle the Iranian regime.”
This was reported by Axios.
According to the publication’s sources, disagreements have arisen within Trump’s team regarding Washington’s future policy toward Tehran. Various groups of officials were guided by the positions of U.S. allies in the Middle East. In particular, Israel insisted on resuming military strikes, while most Gulf states opposed such a scenario.
“He was looking for a solution but wasn’t sure which path would be best,” said a U.S. official close to the president.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined Washington’s position on Iran on Tuesday during a closed-door meeting with G7 foreign ministers in Paris.
According to him, the Trump administration is considering more than just the two traditional options—resuming the war or signing a peace agreement.
“The president has more than just two options. It’s not just a matter of returning to war or signing a half-hearted peace agreement. We won’t agree to a meaningless deal. The third option we have is to continue doing what we’re doing now,” Rubio said.
He explained that the U.S. continues to inflict significant economic damage on Iran. This policy is intended to limit Tehran’s ability to finance terrorist groups and rebuild its armed forces. At the same time, Washington is not setting any specific deadlines for implementing this strategy.
“The president is not under any artificial time pressure, and the Iranians themselves are inflicting enormous damage on their own economy,” the secretary of state emphasized.
According to U.S. officials, Rubio was part of a group of administration officials who supported the economic pressure strategy against Iran. The group also included Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and the president’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner.
These officials did not support a resumption of hostilities and, at the same time, doubted that, given Tehran’s current stance, it would be possible to reach agreements on terms favorable to the U.S. Therefore, they insisted on continuing economic pressure as an alternative option.
At the same time, Washington’s plans are causing concern among some of its allies. In particular, Turkey, Iraq, and Pakistan are concerned about Trump’s intention to further intensify economic pressure on Iran.