Washington's next move on Iran is now the subject of a split inside the Trump administration. CIA Director John Ratcliffe has urged President Donald Trump to avoid both a fresh military campaign and a hasty agreement with Tehran, and to keep the economic squeeze in place instead, Axios reported Monday.
Ratcliffe's position has been summed up as "no war, no deal." He contends that prolonged economic hardship will either push the Iranian regime into further concessions or stir enough discontent at home to set off a popular uprising. The CIA declined to comment.
Vice President JD Vance stated on Monday that this is the core American demand in the talks: "What we want is, having destroyed their nuclear program, we want to make sure they don't rebuild it or try to rebuild it. That's what matters most to the United States."
Trump told Axios he has fixed no timetable for deciding whether to resume military operations. "One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush. We crippled them financially. They have no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired of it," he said.
