Washington: US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio mixed warnings with diplomacy in their latest comments on Iran, stressing that Tehran would not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
The coordinated remarks came amid rising tensions in the Gulf, concerns over energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz and continuing negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear programme.
Rubio, speaking to reporters at Miami Homestead Airport before departing for India, warned Iran against any attempt to impose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil shipping lanes.
“We’ve always said a tolling system in the strait would be unacceptable,” Rubio said.
He said the United States was backing a United Nations Security Council resolution sponsored by Bahrain opposing any such move.
“It has over a hundred — it is — the highest number of co-sponsors in the history of the Security Council have signed onto our resolution,” Rubio said.
Rubio added that China also opposed the proposal.
“No one in the world is in favor of a tolling system. It can’t happen; it would be unacceptable,” he said.
“It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that.”
At the White House later in the day, Trump said the United States had “total control of the Strait of Hormuz” through its naval operations in the region.
“There hasn’t been a ship that’s been able to get through without our approval,” Trump said.
“It’s like a steel wall.”
Trump also claimed Iran’s military infrastructure had suffered severe damage. “We wiped out their navy. We wiped out their air,” he said, adding that Iran had lost most of its missile capability.
The President repeatedly returned to the issue of nuclear weapons, calling it the administration’s highest foreign policy priority.
“We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
“You will have a nuclear war in the Middle East, and that war will come here, that war will go to Europe.”
Trump said Washington remained engaged in negotiations but warned that military options remained available. “We’re going to either make sure they don’t have a nuclear weapon or we’re going to have to do something very drastic,” he said.
Rubio also signalled that diplomacy remained active, though uncertain. “The President’s preference is always a deal,” Rubio said, adding, “His preference is always an agreement. His preference is always diplomacy.”
But he cautioned against excessive optimism.
“I’m not here to tell you that it’s going to happen for sure,” Rubio said. “But I’m here to tell you that we’re going to do everything we can to see if we can get one.”
Trump also rejected any possibility that Iran could retain enriched uranium under a future agreement.
“No, no we get the highly enriched. We will get it,” Trump said. “We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it.”
India also figured in Rubio’s remarks as he addressed concerns over energy security and supply disruptions linked to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz.
“We want to sell them as much energy as they’ll buy,” Rubio said when asked what the United States could do for India.
“They’re a great ally, a great partner; we do a lot of good work with them.”
Rubio said energy cooperation would be part of his discussions in India, alongside meetings linked to the Quad grouping.
The Strait of Hormuz handles nearly one-fifth of global oil shipments and remains strategically vital for Asian economies, including India, which depends heavily on Gulf crude imports. Any disruption there immediately affects global energy prices and shipping markets.
(IANS)
