Rubio: US Open to Iran Talks, Slams Hormuz 'Precedent'
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- Marco Rubio said at an ASEAN meeting in Manila on Wednesday that 'the United States remains open and willing to engage in positive and constructive negotiations' with Iran, but accused Tehran of not being 'serious' about talks and warned the US will 'do what's necessary' to protect its interests if they aren't.
- Rubio framed Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz as a 'very dangerous precedent,' arguing that allowing a nation state to control an international waterway, charge tolls, and attack non-paying ships 'will repeat itself in other parts of the world.'
- The US launched attacks against Iran for an eleventh consecutive night, with explosions heard in several parts of the country, according to the report.
- Donald Trump renewed threats on Tuesday to attack Iran's nuclear facilities at Natanz 'pretty soon,' prompting Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya military command to warn such a strike would be treated as 'an expansion of war in the region' and could draw retaliation against 'all the interests of America, its allies and supporters.'
- Iran's health ministry said fifty people have been killed and 500 wounded in the recent US attacks, according to a ministry official cited in the report.
- Rubio told ASEAN members that the US relationship with Southeast Asia is a matter of national interest, declaring that 'the future and the story of the 21st century will be written in this region.'
Why it matters: With US strikes hitting Iran for an eleventh straight night and 550 reported casualties, Rubio's conditional offer of talks — paired with Trump's renewed Natanz threat and Iran's promise of regional retaliation — signals that diplomacy hinges on Tehran surrendering Hormuz control, a concession Tehran has shown no willingness to make.
