United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Iran is privately pressing Washington for a deal to end the war, according to reports from Aljazeera. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting of foreign ministers in Manila, Philippines, Rubio said that Tehran is not yet ready to accept an agreement.
Marco Rubio Says Iran Seeks US Deal Amid Ongoing Airstrikes
Iran is begging us, both directly and indirectly, ‘Let’s do a deal. Let’s talk,’
Rubio said, as reported by AP News. He added, “The problem with Iran is every time they make a deal, the people in charge either break it or they want to change it. So it looks like they’re not ready to make a deal, so they’re going to continue to pay a price, and every night the price gets higher and higher.”
Strait of Hormuz Tensions and Regional Economic Stakes
Rubio warned Asian leaders that Iran’s demand to control and collect tolls in the Strait of Hormuz threatens the global economy and sets a dangerous precedent, noting that if a nation-state can control an international waterway and charge tolls under threat of destroying ships, the precedent will repeat elsewhere.
According to the International Energy Agency, Asian markets imported roughly 80% of crude oil and nearly 90% of liquefied natural gas transiting through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025. The resulting energy shock has left Southeast Asia particularly vulnerable due to its overreliance on fossil fuel imports from the Middle East.
Military Campaign and the ‘Head for an Eye’ Approach
As the U.S. and Iran navigate a diplomatic stalemate following the collapse of a memorandum of understanding signed last month, American forces have launched strikes on Iran for 12 consecutive nights, according to Streamlinefeed. Washington maintains that these operations are aimed at degrading the Iranian military’s capacity to hit vessels in regional waters, while Tehran contends that civilian infrastructure has been hit.
Asked about Iranian officials describing their military policy with the U.S. as an eye for an eye,
Rubio countered that President Donald Trump’s approach is a head for an eye.
Rubio asserted that Iran is already paying a heavy price, claiming that Iranian industrial infrastructure has been decimated, resulting in billions of dollars in damage.
Nuclear Ambitions and Proxy Funding
Rubio emphasized that Washington’s central objective remains a denuclearised Iran. Our number one interest and the threat they pose to the world is these lunatics in possession of a nuclear weapon, and that’s not going to happen,
he said, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Rubio also criticized Tehran for directing financial resources toward regional proxies rather than domestic development. He stated that instead of utilizing its potential to be the richest country in the Middle East, Iran funds Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, Shia militias, and sponsored terrorism worldwide.
Related reading