US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said the Strait of Hormuz must remain open “one way or the other”, following fresh American strikes on southern Iran. Speaking in India on Tuesday, Rubio described Iran’s actions as “unlawful” and “unsustainable for the world”.
The comments came as Iranian negotiators arrived in Doha for talks with the Qatari prime minister over a potential peace deal. An official briefed on the discussions said they focused on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with the central bank governor attending to discuss the release of frozen funds.
Rubio said progress on a US-Iran deal would “take a few days” due to discussions over the language in the agreement. “The president’s expressed his desire to make it. He’s either going to make a good deal or no deal,” he added.
Oil prices showed mixed reactions: West Texas Intermediate crude fell more than 5% to $91.33 a barrel, while Brent crude rose 1.6% to $97.68. The Israeli military reported sirens in northern Israel but later said it was a false identification.
Former US president Donald Trump said any deal should require Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords normalising relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia has insisted on a path to Palestinian statehood.
