🔶 Marco Rubio: The United States is still prepared to negotiate with Iran

🔶 Marco Rubio: The United States is still prepared to negotiate with Iran

Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, said Washington remains prepared to hold talks to end the crisis with Iran, but Tehran is not serious in the negotiations.

Speaking at a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Manila, Rubio added: “If Iran is serious about negotiations, we are also serious. But if that is not the case, we will do whatever is necessary to protect our interests and those of our allies.”

The U.S. foreign minister also warned that Iran’s tightening control of the Strait of Hormuz would create a “very dangerous precedent.”

He said: “If in the Middle East a precedent is set that one country can control an international waterway, charge fees from ships, and if they do not pay, target them, then a very dangerous precedent is created that will be repeated in other parts of the world as well, including this region.”