US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during the Freedom 250 reception at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on October 20, 2026.
Kylie Cooper | Afp | Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said President Donald Trump would like to resolve the Iranian war “diplomatically,” and prefers not to use military force.
Speaking over the weekend, Rubio told reporters that “He [Trump] hasn’t made a decision…what the president expresses to you is incredible confidence that if we needed to do something militarily, we would have the ability to do it, and we really we have everything we need to be successful. But we would prefer to do it peacefully.”
The remarks come as reports suggest both sides are gearing up for additional military strikes after the midterm elections.
On Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for Tehran’s armed forces to meet “any level or type of threat” with “an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response.”
He also ordered that its military database be updated so that “all kinds of physical and non-physical assets of the U.S.-Zionist enemy are brought within the reach of the Armed Forces,” referring to U.S. and Israeli forces.
Washington has not explicitly stated it plans to resume attacks on Iran, but reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times indicate the U.S. is preparing for possible renewed military actions after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
On Sunday, Trump told the Right Side Broadcasting Network. “We’ve had such a victory, and we’ll put it away very soon, one way or the other.”
“Either they’ll make a deal, or we’ll just end it,” he added.
Iran targets U.K. intelligence
On Sunday, Iran’s foreign ministry designated the U.K.’s Military Intelligence Services as a “hostile group” and accused the Royal Navy and Air Force of supporting “terrorist organizations.”
In a Telegram post, the ministry said that the move was a response to what it called London’s “malicious” actions, including the designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “terrorist organization.”
Tehran has separately accused the U.K. of participating in the U.S.-Iran war by allowing American forces access to British military and logistical bases.
The U.K. had allowed U.S. forces to use RAF Fairford and Diego Garcia for what were described as “defensive” strikes on Iran, according to the BBC.
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