Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived at the G7 Summit in Paris with a clear message for Iran: President Trump will keep making your lives miserable without even needing to drop another bomb on you.
Speaking to the media following Tuesday meetings with his fellow G7 foreign ministers, Rubio said the Trump administration's economic campaign against Tehran has been so successful that further military action isn't needed at this time.
The economic pain that is being inflicted on Iran right now, on that regime, is extraordinary. It compounds, it's growing every day. These sanctions get worse over time, they get more painful as time goes on. It's all brought about by the fact that this radical regime of lunatics is imposing this on their own people. They're destroying their own country.
SECRETARY RUBIO: The economic pain that is being inflicted on Iran right now, on that regime, is extraordinary. It compounds, it's growing every day. These sanctions get worse over time, they get more painful as time goes on. It's all brought about by the fact that this radical regime of lunatics is imposing this on their own people. They're destroying their own country.
— Department of State (@StateDept) November 10, 2026
His words echo what the president said Monday at an impromptu press briefing when he revealed that existing economic sanctions and the ongoing naval blockade had been devastating for Iran. While he indicated further military strikes weren't necessary, the president also said "America is fully locked and loaded" should things get to that point again.
Rubio did flag one big problem in the ongoing negotiations with Tehran – they are placing "absurd" conditions on any deal. That will eventually backfire on them, he said, because "eventually, you have to eat."
SECRETARY RUBIO: Iran would love a deal. The problem is, the conditions they continue to place are absurd. They're not even serious. But that could change. Eventually, you have to eat. https://t.co/JbR5x3jFd5
— Department of State (@StateDept) November 10, 2026
As to whether any sanctions relief for Iran was forthcoming, the secretary was adamant that it would be foolish to do so and pointed to disastrous results of Obama's actions.
"When Obama gave them sanctions relief, they didn't use that money to build up hospitals, roads, bridges, and universities. They used that money to build weapons and arm proxies in the region to attack us and other countries," Rubio reminded the media.
SECRETARY RUBIO on IRAN: When Obama gave them sanctions relief, they didn't use that money to build up hospitals, roads, bridges, and universities. They used that money to build weapons and arm proxies in the region to attack us and other countries. https://t.co/mwYZ2araRb
— Department of State (@StateDept) November 10, 2026
Before departing the press briefing, Rubio reiterated that Iran is the "common denominator" in all the instability plaguing the Middle East, saying other countries in the region recognize that reality.
SECRETARY RUBIO: Behind every single one of these destabilizing activities in the Middle East there's one common denominator — the Iranian regime. They are behind all the instability in the region. They are the source of instability in the region. I think the countries of the region realize that as well.
— Department of State (@StateDept) November 10, 2026
For now, it seems, the Trump administration is content to let economic pressure on Tehran do its thing. But it's obvious from both Trump and Rubio's words that it would be foolish of the regime to mistake military restraint for a weakening in resolve.