US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Reassures Gulf Allies on Iran Deal Security Amid Threats to Strait of Hormuz

The exact date of Rubio's meeting with Gulf allies varies between sources, with some citing June 24 and others June 25.

The exact location of the GCC meeting is mentioned as Bahrain in some sources, while others refer to it as a meeting in the Gulf region.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrapped up a three-day swing through the Persian Gulf on June 25 with messages aimed at reassuring Washington's allies in the region, reaffirming an intention to pursue diplomacy with Iran, and insisting on freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The new warning complicated efforts to revive use of the critical waterway as Washington sought regional support for its framework peace agreement with Iran.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Gulf allies on Thursday that any deal with Iran would take their interests into account, as he wrapped up a Middle East trip aimed at winning over regional partners with deep reservations about the preliminary accord. Speaking at a meeting of Gulf Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain – home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet – Rubio said Washington was seeking an ‌enduring peace with long-time foe Iran that would not come at the expense of the security of allies in...

Rubio's Gulf tour is the first high-level diplomatic mission since the US-Iran framework agreement last week.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Gulf allies on Thursday that any deal with Iran would take their interests into account, as he wrapped up a Middle East trip aimed at selling the Trump administration’s preliminary accord to sceptical regional partners. Speaking at a meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, Rubio said Washington was seeking an enduring peace with long-time foe Iran that would not undermine the security and prosperity of its allies in the oil-rich region, which fear the accord is too soft on Iran. Iran fought two of the world’s most powerful armies — the US and Israel — during the conflict and took effective control of the vital Strait of Hormuz, heavily disrupting oil flows and rattling global energy markets and the wider economy. The war began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, and Tehran targeted US assets and bases in Gulf countries in retaliation. It, however, has not accepted responsibility for all of those attacks. At the GCC meeting, Rubio said: “The reality of it is that no country on Earth has the right to charge for the use of international waterways. And that will never be an acceptable condition of any deal. The president’s been fundamentally clear about that.” Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who chaired the gathering, welcomed Oman’s announcement of a corridor for the safe passage of vessels through the strait. Rubio’s three-day tour of the Gulf is the first high-level diplomatic mission since the US-Iran framework agreement last week to end the war on Iran. He has acknowledged the delicacy of his mission as he seeks to win over Gulf Arab leaders wary that excessive concessions could strengthen Tehran and reshape the region’s security balance and oil flows. At his previous stops in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, Rubio sought to assure officials that the proposed deal was not overly favourable to Iran. “We’re not going to do anything that undermines the security of our allies, our longstanding allies in the region,” he told reporters in Kuwait. Conflicting accounts on deal terms US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections into “infinity” while Tehran said it had made no such concession in negotiations. The two countries, which ended a first round of negotiations in Switzerland on Monday, have also offered conflicting accounts about financial incentives for Iran, control of the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel’s parallel strikes in Lebanon. All six GCC nations — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait — are strategic US allies that offered some degree of logistical support to Washington during the war. Together, they make up the backbone of America’s security architecture in the Middle East, and any country rethinking their security relationship with the US could have a significant impact on US military strategy in the region. The draft US-Iran agreement includes no limits on Iran’s ballistic missiles, a proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund and provisions that could expand Tehran’s regional influence and control over critical oil shipping lanes. Rubio has said he would not be asking regional allies to contribute to any reconstruction fund during the trip, even as the MoU with Iran suggests that countries in the region would at least be partially responsible for footing the bill.

The U.S. Secretary of State’s three-day tour of ​the Gulf is the first high-level diplomatic mission ‌since the U.S.-Iran framework agreement last week to end the conflict

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday assured Gulf allies that Washington would protect their interests as it pursues a final settlement with Iran. President Donald Trump said talks were progressing well, while requesting nearly $88 billion in supplemental funding for the Pentagon after Congress passed a resolution urging an end to hostilities.

- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that a new round of US-Iran technical negotiations will resume in Switzerland at the end of June, as he wrapped the second day of a high-stakes Persian Gulf tour aimed at calming regional concerns over Washington’s tentative accord with Tehran.

Rubio tours Gulf in bid to allay allies' security concerns over the US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the US-Iran deal with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed on Wednesday, renewing Washington’s commitment to the country’s security as he embarks on a tour of the Gulf. Rubio is seeking to reassure close US allies — who were hit by Iranian missiles during the Middle East war — about the memorandum of understanding with Tehran, which fails to address some of the Gulf’s long-standing concerns about its missile programme. Iran contends that it targeted US bases and assets in Gulf countries and has not accepted responsibility for all attacks. “They discussed President Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran, efforts to secure full and safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the importance of peace and stability in the region,” his spokesperson Tommy Pigott said. Rubio also “thanked the UAE for their leadership and unparalleled support, praised their courage and resilience in the face of Iran’s attacks, and reaffirmed the US commitment to the security of the Emirates”, Pigott added. The secretary of state arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday evening and held closed-door talks with Sheikh Mohamed the following day, then set off for Kuwait. After that, he will travel on to Bahrain, where he will attend a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting on Thursday. He insisted that no country is allowed to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz after Oman and Iran, which border the waterway, said they were considering charging “costs” for ships navigating the key conduit for Gulf oil and gas. “It’s an international waterway. No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law,” he said as he arrived in the United Arab Emirates capital. Rubio held a working lunch with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other senior figures, including National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Asked on arrival if he planned to address allies’ disquiet with the accord, Rubio told reporters: “That most certainly will come up in these discussions.” He said they would also discuss issues not covered by the memorandum of understanding. America’s top diplomat has been largely absent from Iran-related discussions in recent weeks, with Vice President JD Vance instead leading a round of talks with Iranian counterparts over the weekend in Switzerland. The UAE faces particularly severe economic strains, as the war caused some expatriates at the core of its non-oil economy to flee the global financial centre, which prides itself on stability in a volatile Middle East. Rubio’s remarks during his swing through the region will be closely scrutinised to see how the man once known as a hawkish critic of Iran frames a deal that many congressional Republicans argue amounts to capitulation. Rubio and Vance, both former US senators, are widely viewed within Republican Party circles as potential candidates to succeed Trump, with party insiders and early polling often casting the race as a two-way contest between them. Rubio’s mission is delicate: While he needs to defend a preliminary accord that Trump firmly supports, he also has to credibly address the concerns of his Gulf counterparts, who are more circumspect about the deal. The US and Iran signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding last week, setting out broad agreements in principle to end the war. The interim accord paved the way for 60 days of talks aimed at hammering out thornier details, including issues related to Iran’s nuclear programme. A central issue in talks is what will happen to Iran’s highly enriched uranium, including material enriched to up to 60 per cent purity, a short step from the roughly 90pc of weapons grade. Tehran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes. While Gulf leaders pushed for peace during the four-month-long conflict, many were surprised and disappointed by the terms of the accord. US regional allies are especially concerned that Iran could use the proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund to rebuild its military. The accord also does not address Tehran’s ballistic missile capacity, a concern for Gulf states, all of which were struck by Iranian missiles and drones in the war. Tehran has noted that the Gulf states made various logistical accommodations for Washington’s war effort, while hosting US military bases that were central to the conflict.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was scheduled to meet with leaders in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Bahrain, which were targeted by Iranian attacks during the war.