Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday the United States will reopen the Strait of Hormuz with or without Iran’s cooperation, as Washington and Tehran close in on a peace deal that could end the war and relieve the worst energy crisis in a generation.
“They’re going to be open one way or the other,” Rubio told reporters while traveling overseas. “What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable.”
Rubio said the outline of a preliminary agreement is taking shape. “I think there’s strong alignment and agreement on what a preliminary draft should look like,” he said, adding that finalizing the wording could take “a couple of days.” He added bluntly: “It’s either going to be a good deal or there isn’t going to be one.”
The U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran began Feb. 28, aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and dismantling its missile program and support for regional terror proxies. Since then, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly a fifth of global oil supply, has been severely restricted.
The impact on American consumers has been substantial. Gas prices nationwide averaged $4.49 per gallon on Tuesday, down slightly from $4.53 the week prior but up 51 percent from when the war started, according to the AAA motor club.
On the tolling question, Rubio said global consensus is clear. “The Russians are not in favor of a tolling system, the Chinese are not in favor of a tolling system. There’s no country in the world that’s in favor of a tolling system except for the regime in Iran,” he said. “So that’s not acceptable, that cannot happen.”
President Trump has also pushed for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords as part of any settlement, a demand that could complicate the final terms.
