US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that he saw no need to attack Iran again, as diplomatic efforts to end the war gathered steam. Tehran urged Washington to accept its demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking after a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Paris, Rubio stated that the United States squeezing of Iran economy made further attacks unnecessary. He told allies that the economic campaign against Iran is so devastating that right now there is no need for major combat operations.
Hours earlier, President Donald Trump said he saw positive momentum toward resolving the eight-month war. Washington imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports and announced an economic asphyxiation campaign in August to financially strangle Iran.
Iran efforts to blockade Hormuz have sent oil prices soaring. That disruption proved to be a major factor in the humbling of Trump Republicans in the midterm elections held last week.
Britain Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband called for greater efforts to end the conflict and warned of the economic damage of an ongoing impasse. He said nations must move beyond the no war, no peace stalemate causing deep economic pain.
Washington appeared to taper down its threats of renewed strikes after the election defeat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to recognize the shifting diplomatic reality, saying on Tuesday that international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran would soon arrive.
Tehran stated that its offer to reopen Hormuz within two days, if Washington agreed to a raft of conditions, remained on the table. Iranian demands include ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing assets, lifting oil sanctions, and ending the US blockade.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the IRNA news agency that the conflict will not be resolved through military means or by intensifying sanctions. He said the only solution is to adopt a language of respect and engage in diplomacy.
Meanwhile, vessels continued to come under attack in and around the strait. The Emirati state oil company ADNOC said on Tuesday that one of its vessels sustained damage following an attack in UAE territorial waters.
The British maritime agency UKMTO reported a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile off the Omani coast. Iran Revolutionary Guards said three oil tankers were on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, though it remained unclear if they were the same vessels.
Qatar and Pakistan are leading diplomatic efforts to resolve the war, which began with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February. Qatari foreign ministry official Ibrahim Al-Hashmi confirmed progress, stating that mediators are making a persistent and earnest effort to bridge gaps.
