United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that Washington sees no need for major combat operations against Iran because its sanctions and naval blockade are already inflicting enough economic damage to serve the same purpose.

Rubio spoke to reporters in Paris after two days of G7 foreign ministers’ meetings. He said he had told allies that the economic pressure on Tehran was “extraordinary” and growing by the day, and that President Donald Trump therefore did not have to order a return to large-scale military action.

He rejected suggestions that holding back amounts to a stalemate, arguing that Iran has never before been so unable to sell its energy on the global market.

The Secretary of State said Washington remains open to a “real deal” with Tehran and is not discouraging mediation efforts. He said Iran appears to want an agreement but has yet to show it is ready to make one.

He also made clear that the US military can still act against Iran at any moment, and he accused the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of trying to sink ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

His remarks follow Trump’s announcement on Monday that he would hold off on fresh strikes for now after appeals from regional countries, including a White House meeting with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is a key intermediary with Tehran. Trump spoke of “positive momentum” and described the war as effectively over, but said the naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz would stay in place and that US forces were ready to go back in if necessary.

Tehran has shown no sign of softening. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said it was time for Washington to “surrender” to Iran’s seven conditions and dismissed talk of negotiations as fake news. The conditions include an end to the US naval blockade, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian funds and a halt to hostilities on all fronts.

Elsewhere in the region, the Gulf Cooperation Council said after a meeting of its defence ministers in Bahrain that appropriate forces would be allocated to a joint military command base to be located in Kuwait, a sign that Gulf states are strengthening their collective defence posture as diplomacy continues.

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