Rubio warns Iran of 'total defeat' if it refuses deal
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for Iran "to make a sensible choice" and resume negotiations.
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday urged Iran to return to negotiations with the United States, warning of economic collapse and “total defeat” if it refuses.
“Iran must accept the reality of the situation and come to the negotiation table and accept terms that are good for them,” Rubio told reporters at a White House briefing.
He spoke a day after the US Navy launched a maritime operation to facilitate commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran maintains a de facto blockade. Rubio said the effort — dubbed Project Freedom — was meant to bring Iran’s “last-ditch act of economic arson” to a close.
“This is what they're doing with the straits,” Rubio said. “What do you think they would do if they had a nuclear weapon? They would hold the world hostage with that nuclear weapon.”
On Monday, US Central Command reported that two US-flagged merchant ships successfully passed through the strait, compared with the roughly 130 that transited per day before the war. None appeared to pass on Tuesday.
Iran has pushed back against the US operation, with a spokesperson for its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps warning that any vessels transiting the strait without its consent “will be stopped by force.”
President Donald Trump and other US officials said Tuesday that the April 8 ceasefire between Iran and the United States remained intact despite Iranian strikes in the strait and against the United Arab Emirates. Overnight Tuesday, Iran launched drones and missiles at the Emirati port of Fujairah, sparking a fire at an oil facility.
Rubio called for Iran to make the “sensible choice” by agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and dismantle its nuclear program but acknowledged “it’s not easy for them” amid fractures in their own leadership. The alternative, he said, is “growing isolation, economic collapse and ultimately total defeat.”
Led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the United States and Iran held one round of direct talks in Islamabad on April 12. Iran has since told mediators it won’t return to the negotiating table unless the US naval blockade is lifted.
Iran’s nuclear program was degraded by US strikes in June 2025, but it still possesses roughly 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium that could be used to develop as many as 11 nuclear weapons if further enriched. Much of the material is believed to be stored deep underground in tunnels inside the Isfahan nuclear complex.
Without elaborating, Rubio said “progress” had been made on the issue of Iran’s uranium stockpile. In prewar negotiations, Iran signaled a willingness to dilute the material — though not eliminate it — in exchange for sanctions relief. It insists on recognition of its right to enrich uranium for what it says are peaceful purposes.
“To make the talks worthwhile,” Rubio said, there must be an understanding “at the front end” about what Iran is willing to negotiate and the concessions it's willing to make.
Security Council standoff
Some 20,000 seafarers have been stranded in the Gulf since Iran imposed a blockade following the US and Israeli launch of the war on Feb. 28. After peace talks collapsed in mid-April, Trump announced the US Navy would impose its own blockade on Iranian ports.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies normally pass, along with a significant amount of fertilizer and fuel — has rattled global markets and pushed up the price of gasoline ahead of midterm elections.
The United States and its Gulf allies have drafted a UN Security Council resolution threatening Iran with sanctions if it doesn’t unclog the Strait of Hormuz. The text, a copy of which was obtained by Al-Monitor, calls for Iran to immediately enable United Nations efforts to establish a humanitarian corridor in the strait to ensure the flow of aid and fertilizer. It’s unclear whether it will receive support from China and Russia, which last month vetoed a US-backed resolution aimed at reopening the strait.
“It is in their interest not to see international waterways, including the Straits of Hormuz, be closed down and cause economic chaos,” Rubio said of Beijing and Moscow.
