US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Washington remains committed to pursuing a diplomatic settlement with Iran, while warning that President Donald Trump has “many options available” if Tehran fails to cooperate.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Philippines, Rubio rejected suggestions that Iran has authority over the Strait of Hormuz, referring to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two countries.
According to Al Jazeera, Rubio said the United States did not interpret Article 5 of the MoU as granting Iran control over the strategic waterway.
“I don’t think that’s what the MoU says, so that’s not the way we interpreted it from the very beginning,” Rubio said. “We understood that to mean that they would ensure that no ships were being blown up. The MoU does not give them the right to launch drones and missiles against commercial shipping vessels.”
Rubio said the United States would prefer a negotiated agreement under which Iran commits to ending support for terrorism and permanently abandons efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.
“We would love to reach a diplomatic settlement. We would love to reach an agreement if it were possible with Iran that would ensure they never have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
He added that President Trump has consistently favoured diplomacy but stressed that Washington would not tolerate attacks on international shipping or US personnel.
“The president has many options available to him if they continue to insist on not being cooperative,” Rubio said, declining to elaborate further.
He also reiterated that the United States would not accept Iranian attacks on commercial shipping or international waterways, arguing that many other countries have an equally strong interest in protecting freedom of navigation.