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22 May 2026, 14:24

Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, spoke on the sidelines of the NATO meeting about ongoing negotiations with the Islamic Republic, stating that Washington is awaiting the results of the ongoing talks, which he noted have shown signs of progress. He added, "We are waiting for the results of these discussions, which have signs of progress. I don't want to exaggerate; there has been limited movement, and that is positive, but the fundamental principles have not changed."

The U.S. Secretary of State emphasized that the Iranian government should never acquire nuclear weapons, stating, "To achieve this goal, we must address the issue of enrichment and also the topic of high-enriched uranium, and in addition, we must consider the Strait of Hormuz."
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On Friday, May 21, Marco Rubio stated on the sidelines of the NATO meeting that the Islamic Republic is seeking to establish a dedicated system for collecting tolls in an international waterway and is trying to convince Oman to join this mechanism. Rubio stressed that this action is "unacceptable." He added, "No country in the world should accept such a thing. I do not know of any country that supports it other than Iran."

Rubio, referring to diplomatic movements at the United Nations, mentioned that a resolution proposed by Bahrain has been introduced in the Security Council, in which the U.S. has played an active role and, according to him, has the highest number of co-sponsors in the history of the Security Council. He warned that several countries are considering vetoing this resolution and added, "That would be regrettable." The U.S. Secretary of State emphasized that Washington is working to achieve a global consensus to prevent the implementation of such a plan, stating, "We need to see if the United Nations is still effective or not. We are trying to reach a conclusion through this path."

He clarified that if toll collection in the Strait of Hormuz is implemented, it may be repeated in other important waterways around the world, adding, "This is unacceptable and cannot happen." Rubio highlighted the importance of the Strait of Hormuz, stating that this waterway is vital for the countries present at the meeting and for other countries, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. He concluded with optimism about the results of the NATO meeting, saying that this meeting will pave the way for a leaders' summit in about six weeks and added that there is much work ahead until then.
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After the NATO meeting in Sweden, Marco Rubio discussed negotiations with Tehran, saying, "We all would like to see an agreement with Iran that keeps the straits open and that Iran abandons its nuclear ambitions." He added, "This is something we all hope for and will continue to strive for, and as I speak to you now, work and negotiations in this regard are ongoing."

The U.S. Secretary of State noted that there should also be an "alternative plan," stating that the alternative plan should be implemented if the Iranian government refuses to open the Strait of Hormuz. He said, "So we need to think about it from now on. I raised this issue today. I saw a lot of positive reactions. However, we still do not have anything to officially announce regarding a specific action that is being taken." Regarding the alternative plan in case the Islamic Republic refuses to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, he added, "I don't know if this can necessarily be a NATO mission or not, but certainly NATO member countries can participate in it."
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