August 26, 2026
Kyle Anzalone
US officials speaking with Axios said Rubio told allies that the US was not planning any attacks on Iran, and any strikes on the Islamic Republic would only be to respond to IRGC missile or drone attacks. The White House will focus on enforcing sanctions on Iran.
Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new economic war against Iran dubbed Operation Economic Outcast. He compared the new sanctions to an economic “D-Day.”
However, many of Iran’s remaining trading partners are unlikely to step up sanctions enforcement against Tehran. Iran’s largest trading partner, China, has denounced Operation Economic Outcast. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Tuesday, “Cooperation between China and Iran has always been conducted within the framework of international law and should not be interfered with or disrupted.
Axios notes that the new approach to the Iran war is “another sign that President Trump is exasperated with the war and wants it to be over, at least for now.” One official said that he expected the current strategy to last at least through the midterm election.
President Donald Trump believed that the war against Iran would result in a quick victory. Six months into the conflict, Tehran is in a better strategic position than before the war. On Wednesday, Iran announced a new deal with Oman for charging fees in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said on Wednesday that he has no plans to return to talks with Iran. “I have no time schedule, none. I’m not in a hurry. I have no time schedule at all,” Trump told Al Jazeera.
While a US official told Axios that the economic war against Iran is working and the US is now in control of the Strait of Hormuz, earlier this week, Saudi-state media reported that Washington had offered to lift sanctions on Tehran if Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
NBC News reports that multiple US officials have revealed Iran had caused “unprecedented damage” to US intelligence gathering facilities across the Middle East.
“Iranian missile and drone attacks have inflicted damage on US intelligence posts and surveillance hardware in the [region] that is more extensive than any destruction [US] spy agencies have endured,” the outlet explained, adding that the damage will “cost billions of dollars to repair.”
The four US officials who spoke with NBC News explained it was the costliest damage ever to CIA infrastructure. The article does not mention to what extent the damage set back the CIA’s intelligence collection capabilities in the Middle East.
In February, the US and Israel launched an unprovoked war against Iran amid talks between Washington and Tehran. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted a quick victory after the US and Israel assassinated the Iranian Supreme Leader and other top officials.
However, the Iranian government remained in control, and the military launched large-scale attacks against American military bases and allies in the region. The IRGC was able to kill 18 American soldiers, cause billions in damage to US military bases, and destroy several warplanes.
Trump appears to have given up on finding a military solution to the conflict. Axios reported on Wednesday that US officials have told allies that “for the time being,” the US is not expected to initiate new strikes against Iran, and will focus on enforcing its economic war.
“Agreements have been reached regarding each country’s share of the strait’s waters as well as Iran and Oman’s share of its revenues,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday. “We have reached results that are acceptable to both sides.”
However, the deal will not result in the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said that the US must comply with Iran’s conditions first. Tehran is calling on Washington to return to the Memorandum of Understanding before reopening the crucial waterway.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi explained that the deal created shipping lanes for traffic in and out of the Persian Gulf. Ships using the Strait to enter the Gulf will travel entirely through Iranian territory. Outbound traffic will use a lane that crosses both Iranian and Omani territory.
The current lanes are temporary, and the two sides will use the next 60 days to discuss permanent shipping routes. Gharibabadi added that military vessels will be barred from transiting the Strait.
Before the US and Israeli war against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was treated as an international waterway. During the conflict, Tehran seized control of the Strait and asserted that international law allows the waterway to be split between Oman and Iran.
Tehran then began negotiations with Muscat on establishing new protocols for vessels transiting the Strait, including charging “service fees.” The White House has demanded that Iran return the Strait to its pre-war status, with President Donald Trump even threatening to bomb Oman if it goes along with Iran’s plan to change tolls.
Kyle Anzalone
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
informed allies that the new strategy is “for the time being”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
has informed allies that the White House is not preparing new attacks on Iran
and will instead focus on enforcing sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
US officials speaking with Axios said Rubio told allies that the US was not planning any attacks on Iran, and any strikes on the Islamic Republic would only be to respond to IRGC missile or drone attacks. The White House will focus on enforcing sanctions on Iran.
Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new economic war against Iran dubbed Operation Economic Outcast. He compared the new sanctions to an economic “D-Day.”
However, many of Iran’s remaining trading partners are unlikely to step up sanctions enforcement against Tehran. Iran’s largest trading partner, China, has denounced Operation Economic Outcast. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Tuesday, “Cooperation between China and Iran has always been conducted within the framework of international law and should not be interfered with or disrupted.
Axios notes that the new approach to the Iran war is “another sign that President Trump is exasperated with the war and wants it to be over, at least for now.” One official said that he expected the current strategy to last at least through the midterm election.
President Donald Trump believed that the war against Iran would result in a quick victory. Six months into the conflict, Tehran is in a better strategic position than before the war. On Wednesday, Iran announced a new deal with Oman for charging fees in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said on Wednesday that he has no plans to return to talks with Iran. “I have no time schedule, none. I’m not in a hurry. I have no time schedule at all,” Trump told Al Jazeera.
While a US official told Axios that the economic war against Iran is working and the US is now in control of the Strait of Hormuz, earlier this week, Saudi-state media reported that Washington had offered to lift sanctions on Tehran if Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz.
NBC News reports that multiple US officials have revealed Iran had caused “unprecedented damage” to US intelligence gathering facilities across the Middle East.
“Iranian missile and drone attacks have inflicted damage on US intelligence posts and surveillance hardware in the [region] that is more extensive than any destruction [US] spy agencies have endured,” the outlet explained, adding that the damage will “cost billions of dollars to repair.”
The four US officials who spoke with NBC News explained it was the costliest damage ever to CIA infrastructure. The article does not mention to what extent the damage set back the CIA’s intelligence collection capabilities in the Middle East.
In February, the US and Israel launched an unprovoked war against Iran amid talks between Washington and Tehran. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted a quick victory after the US and Israel assassinated the Iranian Supreme Leader and other top officials.
However, the Iranian government remained in control, and the military launched large-scale attacks against American military bases and allies in the region. The IRGC was able to kill 18 American soldiers, cause billions in damage to US military bases, and destroy several warplanes.
Trump appears to have given up on finding a military solution to the conflict. Axios reported on Wednesday that US officials have told allies that “for the time being,” the US is not expected to initiate new strikes against Iran, and will focus on enforcing its economic war.
The deal comes after President
Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman if Muscat interfered in his war against
Iran
Iranian officials have announced
that Tehran and Muscat will split the revenue generated by tolls for vessels
crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The two countries also agreed to limited
military transits through the critical waterway.“Agreements have been reached regarding each country’s share of the strait’s waters as well as Iran and Oman’s share of its revenues,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday. “We have reached results that are acceptable to both sides.”
However, the deal will not result in the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC said that the US must comply with Iran’s conditions first. Tehran is calling on Washington to return to the Memorandum of Understanding before reopening the crucial waterway.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi explained that the deal created shipping lanes for traffic in and out of the Persian Gulf. Ships using the Strait to enter the Gulf will travel entirely through Iranian territory. Outbound traffic will use a lane that crosses both Iranian and Omani territory.
The current lanes are temporary, and the two sides will use the next 60 days to discuss permanent shipping routes. Gharibabadi added that military vessels will be barred from transiting the Strait.
Before the US and Israeli war against Iran, the Strait of Hormuz was treated as an international waterway. During the conflict, Tehran seized control of the Strait and asserted that international law allows the waterway to be split between Oman and Iran.
Tehran then began negotiations with Muscat on establishing new protocols for vessels transiting the Strait, including charging “service fees.” The White House has demanded that Iran return the Strait to its pre-war status, with President Donald Trump even threatening to bomb Oman if it goes along with Iran’s plan to change tolls.
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