Rubio rejects Iran ceasefire proposal over Tehran’s demand to control Strait of Hormuz

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled over the issue of the Strait of Hormuz as the United States maintains a naval blockade.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States has rejected an Iranian proposal to end the conflict involving the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, citing concerns over how Tehran defines access to the key waterway.

In an interview with Fox News, Rubio said Iran’s interpretation of reopening the strait differs sharply from international norms.

“What they mean by opening the straits is, yes, the straits are open as long as you coordinate with Iran; get our permission or we’ll blow you up, and you pay us,” Rubio said.

“That’s not opening the straits,” he added. “Those are international waterways. They cannot normalize, nor can we tolerate them trying to normalize, a system in which the Iranians decide who gets to use them.”

Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled over the issue of the Strait of Hormuz as the United States maintains a naval blockade.

The proposal from Iran was presented as part of efforts to end the conflict, but it did not gain US approval.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in St. Petersburg early Monday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after submitting the proposal to the United States.

The timing of the visit follows the latest diplomatic exchanges over the strait.

According to Axios, a revised version of the Iranian proposal removed any reference to Iran’s nuclear program from discussions aimed at ending the war. The omission marked a shift in the scope of the talks as presented in the updated framework.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a central point of contention in the ongoing discussions, with both sides maintaining differing positions on access and control of the passage.

CeasefireIranMarco RubioStrait of Hormuz