Trump and Rubio Warn Iran Over Nuclear Program, Strait of Hormuz Tensions Amid Ongoing Diplomacy

Washington, May 2026 : US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday delivered a coordinated message combining diplomatic outreach with sharp warnings to Iran, reiterating that Tehran will not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons even as negotiations continue.

Their remarks came against a backdrop of rising geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region, concerns over global energy security, and ongoing discussions with Iran over its nuclear programme. The Strait of Hormuz—one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes—emerged as a central point of concern in the latest exchange.

Speaking to reporters at Miami Homestead Airport before departing for India, Rubio warned Iran against any attempt to introduce a tolling or fee system for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

“We’ve always said a tolling system in the strait would be unacceptable,” Rubio said, adding that the United States was supporting a United Nations Security Council resolution backed by Bahrain that opposes such a move.

He noted that the resolution had received unprecedented international backing.

“It has over a hundred — it is — the highest number of co-sponsors in the history of the Security Council have signed onto our resolution,” Rubio said, highlighting broad global opposition.

Rubio further stated that China, along with several other major powers, also opposed the idea.

“No one in the world is in favor of a tolling system. It can’t happen; it would be unacceptable,” he said, warning that such a step would undermine ongoing diplomatic efforts.

“It would make a diplomatic deal unfeasible if they were to continue to pursue that.”

Later at the White House, President Donald Trump asserted that the United States maintained strong operational control over the strategic waterway.

“There hasn’t been a ship that’s been able to get through without our approval,” Trump said, describing the situation as “like a steel wall.”

Trump also claimed that Iran’s military capabilities had been significantly weakened in recent engagements.

“We wiped out their navy. We wiped out their air,” he said, adding that Iran had lost much of its missile strength.

The President repeatedly returned to his administration’s central foreign policy objective: preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, warning of catastrophic consequences if Tehran succeeded.

“You will have a nuclear war in the Middle East, and that war will come here, that war will go to Europe.”

Trump said the United States remained engaged in diplomatic negotiations with Iran but made clear that military options were still on the table.

“We’re going to either make sure they don’t have a nuclear weapon or we’re going to have to do something very drastic,” he said.

Despite the strong rhetoric, Rubio emphasised that diplomatic efforts were still ongoing. He reiterated that the administration’s primary preference remained a negotiated solution.

“The President’s preference is always a deal,” Rubio said. “His preference is always an agreement. His preference is always diplomacy.”

However, he cautioned against assuming success.

“I’m not here to tell you that it’s going to happen for sure,” he said. “But I’m here to tell you that we’re going to do everything we can to see if we can get one.”

Trump also ruled out any agreement that would allow Iran to retain highly enriched uranium.

“No, no we get the highly enriched. We will get it,” he said. “We’ll probably destroy it after we get it, but we’re not going to let them have it.”

Amid the geopolitical messaging, Rubio also addressed India’s energy security concerns in the context of potential disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly one-fifth of global oil shipments pass.

“We want to sell them as much energy as they’ll buy,” Rubio said when asked about US-India cooperation.

“They’re a great ally, a great partner; we do a lot of good work with them.”

He added that energy cooperation would feature in his upcoming discussions in India, alongside meetings related to the Quad grouping.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a vital artery for global energy flows, particularly for Asian economies such as India, which relies heavily on Gulf crude imports. Any instability in the region is closely watched by global markets due to its immediate impact on oil prices and shipping routes.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)