Marco Rubio Reassures Gulf Allies US Will Protect Interests in Iran Talks

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to reassure Gulf allies during a regional tour as technical talks continue on a US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last week, and he said Washington would remain “completely aligned” with regional partners.

Speaking in Kuwait on June 24, Rubio stressed the United States was “not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies” as negotiations move forward.

Al Jazeera

Rubio also insisted that no country, including Iran, would be allowed to charge tolls for shipping in the strait of Hormuz, calling it “an international waterway” where “No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees.”

The dispute over maritime fees sits alongside a broader fight over frozen Iranian assets, after Trump said on June 23 that unlocked Iranian funds would be used to purchase American corn, soybeans, and wheat, while Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati denied there was such an obligation.

Rubio’s trip comes as the International Maritime Organization said an operation to evacuate stranded seafarers was underway and Windward tracked a 48 percent day-on-day increase in shipping through the strait on June 24.

Rubio’s public push for toll-free passage and allied reassurance unfolded as the US last week signed a ceasefire agreement with Iran that established a 60-day period of toll-free passage through the strait, after which Iran and Oman would discuss the “future administration and maritime services” in the strait.

The Guardian reported that Donald Trump claimed Iran agreed to allow international inspectors back into the country to monitor its nuclear programme, but Iran directly denied that an agreement had been struck.

Al Jazeera

In Washington, Trump also said the unfrozen assets would be under US control and used to buy food and medical supplies from the US, while the same reporting described concerns that the release of Iran’s frozen assets could be reinvested into its military.

France 24 reported that Trump met NATO chief Mark Rutte at the White House and said the United States was “doing great” in negotiations with Iran, while Rubio promised Gulf allies that Washington would protect their interests as it pursues a final settlement.

France 24 added that Rubio was due to attend a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Bahrain on Thursday after sitting down with the leaders of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

Rubio’s assurances were delivered against a backdrop of Gulf anger and competing interpretations of the deal, with the Guardian describing that Qatar played a central role in mediating the agreement while the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain feared it hands Iran substantial sums.

In Kuwait, Rubio told reporters “We’re going to be completely aligned with our partners in the Gulf,” and he said “We’re not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies,” before departing for Bahrain.

The Guardian also quoted Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian saying Iran’s ballistic missiles programme would “never” be part of a future agreement, while Rubio said he believed Iran would accept toll-free passage through the waterway.

Al Jazeera reported Rubio met Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah during his visit after the US and Iran signed an MoU, and it framed the trip as an effort to keep Gulf allies “completely aligned” as talks proceed.

As technical negotiations were set to resume later this month, likely in Switzerland, the sources also described a parallel maritime focus: the IMO said an operation to evacuate stranded seafarers was underway and that ships had already begun to pass under the IMO corridor announced on June 23.