The Memo: Iran war settles into strange limbo, without escalation or end in sight

The war in Iran has settled into a peculiar limbo — and it’s not clear in which direction it will break.

Almost every facet of the conflict is fluid, the main players vacillating between different poles.

President Trump continues to trade in rhetoric seeking Iran’s capitulation yet also signals some openness to a deal.

The United States has recently begun an operation to “guide” ships through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Tuesday morning press conference that this would be a “temporary” arrangement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a rare appearance in the White House briefing room later on Tuesday, appealed to the international community — and to the United Nations in particular — in more cooperative terms than are commonly heard from this administration. 

Notably, Rubio also said that the main military operation in Iran “is over.” Referring to Operation Epic Fury, he said, “We’re done with that stage of it.”

The reason his pronouncement didn’t cause a much bigger stir is that it’s not quite clear what it means in practical terms. But it seems broadly clear that the Trump administration is seeking to draw down the conflict.

Iranian attacks in recent days could have provided a pretext for a return to full-blown war by the U.S., but the administration demurred. 

Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon press conference with Hegseth that there had been more than 10 attacks by Iran but they were below the “threshold” that would end the ceasefire.

On the domestic economic front, major U.S. stock indices climbed again on Tuesday — but so too did the price of gas, hitting a national average of $4.48 per gallon,........

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