Rubio warns Iran of 'consequences' as U.S. keeps door open to talks amid ongoing strikes
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Asian leaders Wednesday that the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran if Tehran honors its commitments, but warned military action will continue if the regime threatens freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio credits China for backing freedom of navigation, sidesteps question on aid to Iran
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday credited China for taking a constructive public position on Iran, saying Beijing has supported freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz even as he declined to discuss whether China has provided any military assistance to Tehran.
Pressed on reports that China and Russia may be providing targeting information to Iran, Rubio avoided addressing the intelligence question directly but said Beijing's actions have not changed the course of the conflict.
"I'm not going to discuss that, other than to say that nothing that China has done has in any way changed the trajectory of what you're seeing in terms of the conflicts we're having with Iran," Rubio told reporters at the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines. "In fact, in some cases, they've actually been quite cooperative in terms of what they potentially could have done but didn't do."
Rubio later pointed to what he described as one example of that cooperation, saying Chinese officials have been "pretty clear" that they oppose any tolls or restrictions on commercial shipping through the Strait, a position he said carries significant weight.
"A statement like that from a country like China is important," Rubio said, noting Beijing has publicly opposed interference with freedom of navigation through the international waterway.
Trump: US will bomb one Iranian bridge or power plant for each ship it attacks in Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to Iran on Wednesday, declaring that each time the Islamic Republic attacks a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. will respond with a strike on an Iranian bridge or power plant.
Trump threatened that any such U.S. strikes could target Iranian infrastructure sites near or within its capital of Tehran.
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran,” Trump’s post read.
Trump’s message comes after the U.S. completed an 11th straight night of strikes against the Iranian military and its facilities on Tuesday.
Diplomatic efforts have shown little public sign of progress as officials on both sides have dug in on their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passed during peacetime and remains largely closed because of Iranian attacks.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Iran regime change talk resurfaces as Trump says Tehran 'wants to meet' amid US strikes
Elements of the Trump administration are again debating whether the United States should support the downfall of Iran’s government as the war intensifies again, according to a recent analysis.
The analysis, published Monday by Financial Times columnist Gideon Rachman, says the discussion reportedly includes efforts to encourage an internal uprising and the possible revival of proposals to support armed Iranian opposition groups, including Kurdish factions that have fought Iran for decades.
The question has gained urgency as the United States resumes strikes against Iranian military targets and officials debate whether continued pressure should remain narrowly focused on maritime security or evolve into a broader effort to weaken the Islamic Republic from within.
Such a shift would present President Donald Trump with a consequential choice: continue using military and economic pressure to force Iranian concessions, or adopt the far more ambitious objective of helping Iranians remove the Islamic Republic from power.
Trump, however, signaled Tuesday that he has not closed the door on diplomacy, saying Iran is seeking talks behind the scenes.
"They want to meet desperately to try and end it because they’re getting decimated," Trump told reporters during a Tuesday press conference.
Asked what talks were possible, Trump said: "They want to desperately meet. And until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest…"
"Honestly, they haven't seen anything yet. We've been nice," the president added.
This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital’s Efrat Lachter.
Rubio says countries have expressed interest in helping protect Strait of Hormuz
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that several countries have expressed interest in joining efforts to protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, though legal and political hurdles have so far prevented formal commitments.
"There are countries that have expressed interest," Rubio told reporters while attending the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines. He said some governments require legislative approval while others need authorization through an international organization before deploying naval assets.
Asked whether the U.S. had requested assistance from South Korea or other Asian allies, Rubio said Washington has discussed the issue with them in the past but did not ask directly during this week's meetings.
"We don't need them to do it, but we think it would be beneficial if they did," Rubio said, adding that some allies possess "unique capabilities in terms of mine clearing and things of that nature." He added that he believes "some of them may eventually" join the efforts.
Rubio argued participation is ultimately in many allies' own interests because much of the oil and energy moving through the Strait is bound for Asia and other overseas markets rather than the United States.
Rubio says Iran's economy is buckling under pressure, with hyperinflation and soaring food prices
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that Iran is under significantly more internal pressure than is publicly understood, pointing to what he described as a worsening economic crisis and extensive damage to the country's military infrastructure.
"Iran's in a lot of trouble," Rubio told reporters while attending the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, adding that the country's lack of a free press obscures the extent of its problems.
He cited "hyperinflation, runaway inflation, high food costs" and said those challenges predated the current conflict but "have all gotten worse." Rubio also said Iran has "suffered a tremendous amount of damage to their military infrastructure."
Rubio made the comments after being asked whether the Trump administration's strategy is to strike Iran into submission. Rubio argued the U.S. remains focused on protecting commercial shipping and degrading Iran's ability to attack vessels transiting the Strait.
Rubio says US remains open to Iran talks but warns there 'will be consequences'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that the United States remains willing to negotiate with Iran but warned there "will be consequences" if Tehran continues to violate its commitments.
Speaking at the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, hours after U.S. forces completed their 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets, Rubio said Washington remains open to diplomacy but questioned whether Iran is negotiating in good faith.
"The problem we're having right now is they're not serious about talks. If they're serious, we're serious," Rubio said. "If they're not, then we will do what is necessary to protect our interests and also the interests of our allies."
Rubio said Iran has demanded the right to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, arguing Tehran has no legal authority to do so and warning that allowing it would set a dangerous international precedent.
"If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation-state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway and, if you don't pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent, which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region," Rubio said.
Rubio argued the "fundamental principle of freedom of navigation" is at stake.
"If that is threatened, then I think the global economy is threatened, and the rules which have underpinned 150 years of international trade and commerce are also threatened, and that cannot be allowed to happen," he said.
While President Donald Trump has declared the ceasefire "over," he said Tuesday that Iran wants to "desperately meet."
Rubio echoed the president's remarks, saying Washington remains prepared to negotiate while making clear military force remains an option.
"The United States remains open and willing to engage in positive negotiations and talks so long as the commitments that are made are kept," he said. "When those commitments are not kept, which is what’s happened in this particular case, then there will be consequences. And that has to happen."
Trump to attend dignified transfer for fallen US service members
President Donald Trump will attend the dignified transfer of U.S. service members killed by Iranian attacks during the war on Wednesday, according to the White House.
The ceremony will take place at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware at 11 a.m. EDT, the White House said.
The Pentagon on Tuesday identified a U.S. soldier believed to have been killed during an attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on Friday as Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York. The service member was initially listed as missing.
The Pentagon had earlier identified two other soldiers killed in the attack: Sgt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, and Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas.
Another U.S. service member, identified Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed in a separate incident in Iraq on Saturday, the U.S. Army said.
Swinton was killed in action during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone at Erbil Air Base, the Department of War announced. The incident remains under investigation.
US completes 11th night of strikes against Iran as military campaign continues
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed late Tuesday that its forces had completed an 11th night of strikes against the Iranian military and its facilities.
“At 8:15 p.m. ET on July 21, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) successfully completed the 11th consecutive evening of strikes against Iran,” the command said in a post on X.
“CENTCOM assets targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” it added.
The command also said that over the past three months, Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the international waterway vital for regional and global trade."
The unwarranted attacks have endangered hundreds of innocent mariners and undermined freedom of navigation," CENTCOM said.
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