Rubio backs blockade, Vance wants deal: Is Trump’s team split on Iran war?

What the report says

US officials are sending mixed signals on the Iran conflict, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio arguing after a G7 meeting in Paris that Washington’s economic pressure campaign is working well enough to avoid renewed large-scale strikes. Rubio said the US should keep using sanctions and pressure, while also protecting shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. His comments broadly align with President Donald Trump’s recent remarks that further strikes are unlikely, even as Trump says the US remains ready to respond if needed.

At the same time, the administration appears divided over whether to keep escalating pressure or pursue a negotiated settlement. Al Jazeera reported that Vice President JD Vance favors a deal, while several other senior figures, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, support the tougher approach. The article says the current strategy combines a blockade of Iranian ports, tighter sanctions and possible expansion to land supply routes, rather than a return to full-scale war.

The broader context is stalled diplomacy and regional anxiety. Iran and the US have been trading threats and conditions for restarting talks, while countries such as Pakistan, Iraq and Turkiye are concerned about the economic fallout of a prolonged pressure campaign. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said the Republican midterm defeat increased the political cost of escalation, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll cited in the report found broad public support in the US for legislation to halt the war. Qatar said it is still mediating between the sides.