Rubio Questions Iran’s Commitment as Night‑Long Strikes Continue

At a gathering of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made it crystal clear: Washington is still willing to sit down with Tehran, but it isn’t convinced Iran is playing the same game.

“If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, we’ll do what’s necessary to protect our interests and those of our allies,” Rubio said, his tone mixing patience with a hint of warning.

The remarks came just after three Saudi‑laden tankers turned back in the Red Sea, apparently spooked by threats from Yemen’s Iran‑aligned Houthis. The militants have declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a fresh front in a war that has already claimed thousands of lives since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran on February 28.

With the Strait of Hormuz already a tinderbox—Iran has repeatedly warned it could choke off one of the world’s most vital oil arteries—the Red Sea has become the alternate exit for millions of barrels of Saudi crude each day. The Houthis’ latest warning to “attack any ship loading or discharging Saudi oil” has jolted markets, sending Brent crude nudging above $91 a barrel and U.S. gasoline back over $4 per gallon.

Diplomacy, however, is not dead. A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Monday that Tehran had received a mediator‑proposed 10‑day ceasefire, aimed at salvaging the interim truce signed in June after an April agreement fell apart. Iran’s interior minister, Eskandar Momeni, even paid a visit to Pakistan, urging Islamabad to keep the diplomatic wheels turning.

Rubio, though, warned against letting any nation set a precedent of seizing control of an international waterway, imposing tolls and threatening to blow up ships that refuse to pay. “If we let that happen in the Middle East, it could spill over into other regions, including the South China Sea,” he said.

Meanwhile, the conflict shows no sign of easing on the ground. For the 11th consecutive night, U.S. forces bombed targets across Iran, prompting explosions in Tehran, the coastal cities of Chabahar and Konarak, and even near Bushehr, home to the country’s sole nuclear power plant. Iran, in turn, struck U.S. sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and hit a tanker in the Hormuz Strait.

In a bizarre twist, Tehran claimed to have hit Amazon’s data centre infrastructure in Bahrain—though the company stayed tight‑lipped and Reuters could not confirm the strike.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, reminded the world that 18 U.S. service members have already died in the war, including four in recent Iranian attacks on bases in Jordan and Iraq. He also warned the Houthis that if they ever shut the Bab el‑Mandeb—dubbed the “Gate of Tears”—the United States would act decisively.

For now, the oil market is holding its breath. If the Houthis manage to close the Red Sea’s alternative route via Yanbu, a substantial chunk of Saudi exports could become trapped, tightening global supply further.

All this underscores a stark reality: while diplomatic channels flicker, the drums of war keep beating, and the world’s energy lifelines hang in a precarious balance.