Trump reluctant to resume war with Iran, says US media

The Trump administration appears to be settling into a prolonged standoff with Iran, with US President Donald Trump reluctant to launch another military campaign despite the absence of a diplomatic breakthrough, the Washington Post said in a report.

Citing a US official, the newspaper said that Trump had been receiving multiple intelligence updates daily since the midterm elections, but had shown little appetite for restarting hostilities.

The emerging US strategy is to maintain pressure on Tehran without committing to fresh military operations or making concessions towards a lasting peace agreement, according to the report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, pushed back against suggestions that the lack of fresh military action meant the US was making no headway in its confrontation with Tehran.

Speaking at the G7 summit in Paris, Rubio said the administration’s economic campaign was inflicting significant damage on Iran’s leadership, reducing the need for further large-scale military action.

He also dismissed Tehran’s negotiating demands as unreasonable.

The diplomatic impasse follows the collapse of a memorandum of understanding signed in June, which was intended to establish a framework for a broader peace settlement.