May 26, 2026
Marco Rubio declared that the Strait of Hormuz will be opened “one way or another” after the U.S. military launched airstrikes on southern Iran overnight, amidst ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran for a peace framework agreement.
According to the New York Post, speaking in Jaipur, India, Rubio stated that current activities in the Strait of Hormuz are “illegal,” “unsustainable,” and “unacceptable to the world.”
“The Strait needs to be open, unobstructed, and without tolls,” Rubio told reporters.
“That needs to happen as soon as any agreement is reached.”
The U.S. airstrikes targeted two vessels of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which were allegedly attempting to lay mines in the strategic waterway.
Iran immediately condemned the attack, calling it a “serious violation” of the ceasefire that took effect on April 8.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated:
“These aggressive actions, occurring while the Pakistan-mediated diplomatic process is still ongoing, once again demonstrate the false goodwill and dishonesty of the U.S. administration.”
Tehran also warned that it would not let any attack go “unanswered” and asserted that Iran would defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Tensions escalated after days of concern in Washington that the Trump administration might reach an agreement with Iran without forcing Tehran to make significant concessions on its nuclear program.
Senator Rubio emphasized that President Trump would only accept “a good deal or no deal at all.”
“I think right now both sides are still going back and forth on specific language in the initial text. This will take a few days,” Rubio said.
Earlier on Sunday, President Trump stated that the negotiations were going “quite well,” but warned that the U.S. would only accept “a great deal for everyone or no deal.”
He also declared that if negotiations fail, the U.S. would return to the “battlefield and fire bigger, stronger shots than ever before.”
