US Warning to Iran: Insistence on Hormuz Closure Means Strong Blockade Continuation

U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, warned on Tuesday that Iran's continued insistence on closing the Strait of Hormuz would ensure the powerful blockade imposed on it remains in effect. Rubio clarified that Washington is currently negotiating with Tehran on points within the nuclear file previously rejected by Iran, emphasizing that "a bad deal with Iran is worse than no deal at all." During consecutive hearings before both the House and Senate committees of Congress—the first since the start of tensions with Iran—Rubio faced intense questioning about the Trump administration's diplomatic efforts. He stated before the committees that the U.S. is negotiating many points with Iran, reiterating: "We will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon to hide behind." He pointed out that Tehran had repeatedly refused nuclear program talks but has now relented and agreed. Rubio expressed hope for an acceptable outcome regarding the Strait of Hormuz, noting that Iran's conventional deterrence has significantly eroded. He added that the Iranian regime is fractured, and obtaining a response from its leadership takes days, indicating that Iranians agreed to negotiate about abandoning their nuclear program. The U.S. Secretary of State stressed that any easing of sanctions against Iran would be strictly conditioned upon genuine nuclear commitments. He clarified: "We will not reduce sanctions on Iran merely for opening the Strait of Hormuz." He added sanctions were imposed due to Iran's high-level uranium enrichment, and Washington demands real commitments on its nuclear file before any sanctions reduction. In a related context, Rubio indicated that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei suffered a severe injury, with information suggesting his increasing involvement in Iran's decision-making process in recent days.