US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Iran would be making an “economic suicide” by closing the Strait of Hormuz, warning of a military response from America if that happens.
He made the comments during a Fox News interview, less than a day after the US military carried out a full-scale air operation that destroyed three nuclear facilities in Iran.
Marco called on China to speak directly with Tehran, saying the Chinese economy depends heavily on oil that flows through Hormuz.
“I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” said Marco. He also warned that if Iran actually goes ahead and shuts the strait, it would be “another terrible mistake,” and said the US “retains options to deal with that.”
Marco says Iran forced Trump’s hand
Marco, who also serves as national security adviser under President Donald Trump, made clear the administration sees the situation as a test of resolve. He said the decision to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites wasn’t Trump’s first choice, but it became the only choice after years of delay tactics by the Iranian regime.
“They have played the world for 40-something years with these nuclear talks and delaying things,” Marco said. “They’re not going to play President Trump, and they found out last night that when he says he’s going to do something, he’ll do it.”
The US bombing campaign hit Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, the country’s three main nuclear enrichment sites. Military officials confirmed the strikes were carried out using 14 bunker-buster bombs, more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles, and over 125 aircraft. Marco described the action as a direct response to Iran’s refusal to engage in direct negotiations, and to what he called the regime’s pattern of “playing games.”
Marco also called out Iran for hiding behind diplomacy while avoiding actual talks. “They think they’re cute,” he said. “They’re not cute, and they’re not going to get away with this stuff, not under President Trump.” He said the US is done with backchannel communications and wants face-to-face negotiations only. “We’re not doing that anymore,” Marco stated. “Let’s talk about how we peacefully resolve this problem.”
Decoy bombers misled Iran’s defenses
Top defense officials revealed that the air assault was designed to avoid detection. General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said some bombers flew westward into the Pacific as a diversion. “It was a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders,” Caine said. Meanwhile, the main strike group traveled eastward for 18 hours to reach their targets inside Iran.
Following the strikes, Tehran vowed to defend itself. Marco issued a warning about retaliation, saying it would be “the worst mistake they’ve ever made.” Still, he stressed that the US is open to direct negotiations with Iran if they’re serious about finding a peaceful solution.
Marco also thanked the Europeans for pressuring Tehran to come to the table. “We encourage them to continue to do so and are grateful that they’ve been doing that so far,” he said.
Marco said that if Iran follows through with closing the Strait of Hormuz, the blowback would affect other economies much harder than the US “It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours,” he said. Around 20% of global oil and gas passes through that narrow strip between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
The Iranian parliament’s decision to approve a plan to close Hormuz came just hours after the airstrikes. That decision, first reported by Press TV, escalated the standoff even further.
And the Oval is now making it clear that it sees the closure of Hormuz as not just a threat to energy markets, but a direct provocation that will be met with force if necessary.
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