Rubio says, 'Iran 'cannot be allowed' to control Strait of Hormuz'; defends US economic pressure campaign

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described recent US military actions involving Iran as defensive, as tensions continue around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking from the White House, Rubio said the US response has been measured amid ongoing maritime threats. “This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation. What that means is very simple: There’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first,” Rubio said from the White House briefing room. “You’re not going to let some fast boat come up on the ship and shoot it up. We’re going to respond to it. And we’ve been successful,” Rubio added.

Rubio outlined “Project Freedom,” an initiative designed to escort merchant ships safely through the Strait, calling it a crucial step toward restoring normal operations. “This is the first step towards reopening the strait and bringing this regime’s last-ditch, active economic arson, bringing that to a close,” he said. The briefing marked Rubio’s first at the podium, as press secretary Karoline Leavitt is currently on maternity leave. He also defended US sanctions and maritime enforcement, framing them as necessary to protect global trade and civilian lives.

“Nations from around the world, the overwhelming majority of whom are not even engaged in any military hostilities, are now at risk, not just of losing their cargo, but the lives of their own citizens because of this blockade,” Rubio said. Rubio warned that ships stranded in the region are facing worsening humanitarian conditions. “These ships, you know, you don’t leave a ship out there for this long. You start running out of food. You start running out of potable water, essential supplies, and they’re at the mercy of this piracy,” he added.

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According to Rubio, multiple countries have urged the United States to step in and restore safe passage through the waterway. “So already, many nations, privately and some publicly, have asked the United States to help free their ships and to restore freedom of navigation in the straits of Hormuz and this critical artery of global trade,” he said. Reiterating the US stance, Rubio emphasized that control of the waterway should not fall under Iranian influence. “The Iranian regime cannot be allowed to dictate who uses this vital waterway,” he added.

He further criticized Iran’s actions, warning against setting a dangerous precedent. “They’re trying to make this some new normal,” Rubio said at the White House. “Under no circumstances can we ever allow them to normalize the fact that they get to blow up commercial ships and put mines in the water.” “Our preference is for these straits to be opened to the way they’re supposed to be opened, back to the way it was,” Rubio said.

Rubio also raised concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, warning of broader global risks. “They would do exactly to the world with a nuclear weapon what they’re doing now with the [Strait of Hormuz],” Rubio told reporters Tuesday. He added that Donald Trump sees the situation as a major global threat. “They would hold the world hostage… someone has to do something about it.”

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