The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated on Wednesday (the 23rd) that Washington will continue defending the Strait of Hormuz to keep it open and said that President Donald Trump maintains military options against Iran, although he is currently focused on expanding economic pressure on Tehran.
Rubio said that Trump has “several options” regarding Iran, including military ones. According to him, any eventual deal with Tehran will require “a lot of work and a lot of time.” The secretary added that the United States will not put the “world order” above national interests.
Rubio’s comments came as Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was speaking at the UN.
Regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine, Rubio said that both countries want to reach an understanding to end the conflict and stated that Moscow and Kyiv show interest in a ceasefire involving grain and energy. “This war will end with an agreement, not with more bombardments,” he declared.
Rubio also commented on the situation in Venezuela and said that the country’s economy still bears the consequences of what he described as the “corrupt regime of Nicolás Maduro.” According to him, there are “many things to fix” for the country to function again.
The secretary stated that it is crucial that Venezuela have free elections, but he stressed that economic reconstruction should occur at the same time. Rubio also defended reorganizing the opposition parties, freedom of the press, and conditions for candidates to be able to carry their messages to the public. “We want Venezuela to be a stable democracy, with a solid economy,” he said.
