Foreign Affairs: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that the United States remains willing to negotiate to end the crisis in Iran, but Tehran is not serious about talks, as the escalating dispute has disrupted two of the world’s most important energy strategic points.
According to Reuters published on July 22, 2026, Rubio made the remarks at a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers, a day after three Saudi crude oil tankers bound for Asia turned back in the Red Sea in an apparent response to threats from Yemen’s Houthis, who are bent on Iran.
The Houthis, who control the Red Sea coastline, announced a blockade of waterways against Saudi Arabia on Monday, opening a new front in a war that has killed thousands across the Gulf since it began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran.
As Iran has threatened shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf, the Red Sea serves as a vital alternative route for millions of barrels of Saudi oil a day.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that Tehran had accepted a request from a group of mediators for a 10-day ceasefire in an effort to salvage a temporary ceasefire deal signed by the United States and Iran in June, which replaced an earlier ceasefire in April.
Editor: Nay Tola
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