Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the Strait of Hormuz “has to be open” and will be opened “one way or the other” as the Trump administration presses on with peace deal negotiations with Iran. His remarks came after he criticized Iran for blocking
Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn’t mince words as the Trump administration weighs its next move toward Iran.
Speaking to reporters while flying back to the U.S. on Tuesday morning. Rubio said the Strait of Hormuz “will be opened ‘one way or the other’” during the administration’s ongoing peace deal talks. “The straits have to be open,” he said. “They’re going to be open one way or the other, so they need to be open.”.
Rubio tied his comments to what he called unlawful obstruction. “What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world. It’s unacceptable,” he said. “I don’t know of any country in the world that doesn’t [feel that way].”
The language was pointed. but the stakes behind it are plain: Rubio’s comments land as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has become a central pressure point for President Donald Trump while he negotiates with Iran. The fallout has shown up in markets. where gas and fuel prices have risen since the start of the Iran war.
On February 27—one day before joint U.S. and Israeli strikes hit Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—a barrel of oil cost around $67. Since then, oil has hovered around $100, though it dipped 4% to $92.70 on Tuesday morning amid optimism about a possible peace deal.
Trump had said last weekend that a deal with Iran would “be announced shortly,” but later reporting suggested it could take a week to finalize. The pace and the uncertainty reflect the fragility of the talks—even as the strait’s reopening remains the centerpiece of the negotiation.
Those expectations were also fueled by a post on X by Scott Jennings on Sunday, describing a deal that he said was “95%” done while the two sides continued “haggling over some language.” Jennings said he received the framework details after a “briefing” from a senior Trump official.
In Jennings’ account, the terms he described were stark: “Iran must turn over nuclear stockpile to get anything. USA position is that failure to meet deal commitments means Iran gets nothing.” He added that the U.S. was not giving money to Iran. and said the “initial deal point is to re-establish free flow of commerce by reopening Strait of Hormuz.”.
Taken together, Rubio’s blunt demand and the described framework put the same pressure on the negotiating table: access, security, and leverage—compressed into a question of timing and compliance.
The Strait of Hormuz is still the focal point, not just in diplomacy but in the daily cost Americans feel. Rubio’s message to reporters—“It’s unacceptable” and “they need to be open”—underscores how quickly the administration is trying to translate negotiations into results.
Marco Rubio Strait of Hormuz Iran peace deal Trump administration oil prices Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei U.S. Israeli strikes nuclear stockpile naval traffic