Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in his first interview since the ceasefire agreement with Iran, addressed new proposals coming out of Tehran. He said that if “opening the Strait of Hormuz” means charging tolls and asserting control over the waterway through the threat of military force, then it is not a serious proposal at all.
.@SecRubio: "They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize, a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use an international waterway, and how much you have to pay them to use it." pic.twitter.com/OajCcJxwc4
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 27, 2026
"If what they mean by opening the Strait is, yes, the Straits are open as long as you coordinate with Iran, get our permission, or we'll blow you up and you pay us. That's not opening the Straits," Rubio said. "Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use an international waterway and how much you have to pay them to use it."
This comes as negotiations between Iran and the United States have centered on the Strait of Hormuz, through which more than 30 percent of the world’s seaborne crude oil passes each year.
President Trump has increased pressure on Iran over the Strait’s closure by blockading Iranian ports and vessels, preventing crude exports that the country’s economy relies on. He has also framed the move as a benefit to U.S. allies and China, both of whom depend far more heavily on the waterway than the United States does.
Although they rely more heavily on the Strait, U.S. European allies have reportedly taken the position that Iran should be allowed some level of control over the critical waterway. Rather than supporting the United States, they have instead opted to reduce their own energy consumption and accelerate a shift toward renewable energy. They have also indicated that any military plans to secure the waterway would only be considered after the conflict.
Despite the pressure, the Iranian regime has reportedly taken negotiations over the country’s nuclear program off the table, instead opting to focus solely on reopening the Strait and bringing an end to hostilities. In other words, they appear to be seeking to sidestep President Trump’s current leverage through the American blockade and threat of force, and postpone nuclear negotiations until they believe they are on more equal footing.
🇮🇷🇺🇸 Iran's proposal is now fully visible.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 27, 2026
Lift the naval blockade first. End the war. Nuclear negotiations come later. Much later.
Trump responds by convening a Situation Room meeting tomorrow with his full national security team.
Tehran is asking Washington to remove its… https://t.co/7NrlA4TDto pic.twitter.com/HewjzxAwBY
Still, the Trump administration has maintained that Iran cannot be allowed any control over the Strait of Hormuz, nor can it pursue nuclear weapons.
Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.
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