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.