The key facts

  • According to WP, Trump does not intend to resume the war 'for now,' receiving daily intelligence briefings
  • The administration is sticking to the line of 'no war, no negotiations, no peace'
  • Rubio rejects the term 'stalemate': the economic campaign 'is working,' and he called Iran's demands 'absurd'

The White House's 'middle path'

US President Donald Trump does not want 'for now' to resume the war with Iran, although the administration continues economic and military pressure on Tehran. This is reported by The Washington Post, citing a US official; the Anadolu agency provides a brief summary of the publication. According to the newspaper, after the midterm elections Trump receives several intelligence briefings a day. 'It has become absolutely clear that Trump does not want to return to war for now,' the outlet quotes the official as saying. The publication notes that the administration has settled on a 'middle path': no new war, no negotiations, and no lasting peace — the conflict has already been going on for eight months.

Status quo versus 'stalemate'

Trump stated on his Truth Social platform that he had ended attempts to reach an agreement with Iran and instructed Vice President JD Vance to focus on other matters. 'We are simply maintaining the status quo,' he told reporters after a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, however, rejected the characterization of the situation as a stalemate: according to him, 'the pressure and destruction that our economic campaign is inflicting on the Iranian regime are working so well that the president really has no need to conduct major combat operations.' He called Iran's demands 'absurd.'

Context of the conflict

The US and Israel war against Iran began on February 28; Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies. The memorandum of understanding, signed in June as the basis for a final peace agreement, later fell apart over disagreements, including on shipping through the strait. Thus, the White House's current line is not a rejection of confrontation but a freeze of it: military operations are not resuming, but, judging by the reports, no diplomatic settlement is expected in the near future either.