President Donald Trump gave Iran multiple opportunities to avoid the current conflict with the United States months before it began.
After the war started, the administration continued to reach out to the surviving regime in Tehran, offering one olive branch after another.
But even after agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire in late June, the Iranians continued to attack commercial tankers and shipping, which then led to a new wave of strikes by the U.S., which is now in its ninth day.
That said, Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted on Sunday that the United States remains open to diplomacy with Iran.
Rubio said Sunday night that Iran had effectively ended a memorandum of understanding intended to keep the Strait of Hormuz open after Tehran attacked multiple commercial vessels, while emphasizing that the United States remains willing to pursue a diplomatic resolution.
Speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for the Philippines for the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, Rubio said Iran had been expected to reaffirm its commitment to keeping the strategic waterway open to commercial shipping and to cease attacks on vessels.
Instead, he said, Iran attacked three commercial ships late last week.
“I think we’re always open to diplomacy,” Rubio said.
“It has to be real. It has to be a deal that they’re willing to live by,” he said.
When asked if the memorandum of understanding was truly dead, Rubio stated that Iran had already answered that question through its actions.
“They’re not complying with it,” Rubio said.
“The straits are supposed to be open, free of tolls, free of attack, free of all the things they’re doing against these ships,” he continued, per Fox News.
“They can’t have an MOU that’s alive if they’re violating the terms of it.”
Nevertheless, Rubio said the U.S. is still willing to sit down and discuss peace terms with the Iranians, but their behavior will have to change first.
“The United States always remains open to a diplomatic solution,” Rubio said. “We’ve tried multiple times with Iran, and we’ll continue to try.”
Last week, President Donald Trump convened his top national security advisers for a high-level Situation Room meeting.
The closed-door session came as U.S. forces continued military operations against Iranian targets and the president publicly warned that even more devastating strikes could be on the horizon if Tehran refuses to negotiate.
Axios first reported that the discussions centered on military options extending well beyond the current U.S. strikes around the Strait of Hormuz, to increase pressure on Iran to reopen the strategic waterway and accept U.S. demands regarding its nuclear program.
According to the report, those attending the meeting included Vice President JD Vance, Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and other senior national security officials.
The White House declined to comment on the meeting or the reported military discussions.
The meeting took place as U.S. forces carried out a fourth consecutive day of strikes targeting Iranian air-defense systems, radar installations, anti-ship missile positions, and drone launch sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
According to U.S. officials, those operations are intended to significantly reduce Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping through one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
Iran has continued retaliatory attacks against U.S. positions in the region, including missile and drone strikes targeting American bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, while also threatening broader disruptions to Middle Eastern energy exports.
On Tuesday, the United States also implemented a naval blockade targeting Iranian ports as part of its broader military response.
Before entering the Situation Room, Trump signaled that the current campaign could expand dramatically if Iran refuses to negotiate.
“The U.S. military is going to hit Iran hard over the next three days,” Trump said during an interview with Fox News.
